Happily Ever What Now?
by SwanQueen Hero
Summary: After saving Henry, stopping Gold, destroying the blade and saving the world (again), Emma is ready for her Happily Ever After with Regina and Henry. But as with everything in the Saviours life, not everything is as she hopes. Follow up to Neverland, Henry and Home. You might want to take a look at that first.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One.

For the first time since they left Storybrooke, Emma felt secure enough to start thinking about the future, start thinking what she really wanted from the cards life dealt her. The only trouble was it was keeping her awake. It was now 3 in the morning, Regina was sleeping soundly next to her, and Emma was looking at the top of their new four poster bed.

The bed had been delivered the previous morning, christened by that afternoon. Just the very thought of her activities with Regina in the last week made her smile. They had actually broken the old bed, making up some excuse about Emma practicing magic and a spell going slightly wrong, when explaining to Snow.

While thinking about their future together, Emma couldn't help but think about their past. Had the signs always been there? Were she and Regina the last to find out? Thinking back to that first night, it had been her birthday, Henry arrived at her house, scaring the crap out of her and turning her life on its head.

Thinking about it, her life was already so screwed up at that point, maybe Henry straightened it out and made it closer to normal in terms of the relationships she had, and he stopped her running every time something got a little weird. Something else that struck her that very moment was what she had done moments before. She had wished, on a blue star (at the base of a candle), that she wouldn't be alone on her birthday. Then Henry showed up.

"No way…" Emma said, "that's just a coincidence… it has to be…"

"What has to be?" Regina asked, sleepily next to her.

"Nothing, talking to myself," Emma said, "go back to sleep."

"Not likely." Regina said.

"Don't do that 'if you're awake, I'm awake' thing…" Emma said, "It's cute, but then when you do get tired it's like return of the Regal Bitch…"

"I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to," Regina said, "which, by the way I would absolutely love to do. You've been fidgeting about for the last three hours."

"Shit, honey, I'm sorry," Emma said, kissing her head, "I've got a lot on my mind…"

"Anything I can help with?" Regina asked.

"Is that a 'say no it's fine so I can go back to sleep' question?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said, "it's an actual anything I can help with question."

"I was thinking, about the first night we met…" Emma said.

"That night when you brought Henry back from Boston, in a car you had stolen from your ex-boyfriend years ago, who had stolen it from someone else," Regina said, "after he had travelled to Boston on his own, to meet some woman whose name he got through a website, using a stolen credit card?"

"Yeah," Emma said, with a laugh, "that night… you can so tell he's my kid…"

"Definitely." Regina said, with a laugh of her own.

"Well I don't know if you remember, but I told you that just before he had showed up," Emma said, "I wished on a blue star, wishing I wouldn't be alone on my birthday…"

"I remember," Regina said, with a look of concentration on her face, "you were wearing that red leather jacket and those skin tight jeans you love so much…"

"You remember what I was wearing?" Emma asked.

"Yeah…" Regina replied, "your hair was wavier then…"

"Good job I'm liking having it straighter," Emma said with a laugh, "no idea what I'd use to curl it here… Anyway, does it not seem weird that I wish on a _blue_ star and Henry turns up, on my 28thbirthday…?"

"Not really," Regina said, "why did you buy the blue one?"

"They were the only candles I could find in the store…" Emma said.

"Is that common?" Regina asked.

"I don't know Regina," Emma said, "how would I know unless I went into the same store every day to look at their candles."

"It was a simple question Emma…" Regina said, "and you say I get cranky…"

"No, you turn into a bitch," Emma said, "I just… get cranky."

"So you think it was more than just a coincidence?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Emma replied, "so much has happened in the last 8 months I don't know if I believe in coincidence anymore… There seems to be something linking everything. Like it was all planned out in advance."

"Planned?" Regina asked.

"Yes," Emma said, "planned, like from beginning to end and every god damn detail in between…"

Emma got out of bed.

"Think about it…" Emma said, "I meet Neal, I date Neal, we have fun… I end up in jail, and pregnant, meaning I couldn't keep the child. Which then goes up for adoption, Mr Gold, who was Neal's father by the way, sets it up so you adopt Henry. Following me so far?"

"I think so…" Regina said.

"Good," Emma continued, "on my 28th birthday, after working and having a shitty day, I go back to my single bed apartment, with a lousy cupcake and a pack of candles. I light the candle, close my eyes, make the wish. Cue the knock on the door. It's Henry and I have to take him back to Storybrooke where you are, where Gold is, where my parents are…"

She starts pacing the room.

"I'm the Saviour, the one who will break the curse…" she said, "I realise how much I love my son, blah blah blah, broken curse, everyone remembers who are. Then, the kid gets taken by two complete fruit cakes, taken to Neverland, we follow. Get the kid back, fall in love. Another curse broken. Ringing any bells?"

"And breathe." Regina said.

"Regina I'm serious," Emma said, "this is freaking me out. What if none of the choices I ever made in my life were actually mine? What if some little blue freak and an irritating gold imp planned my whole life?"

Regina didn't say anything.

"Even to the point of making sure my parents stayed together so they would have me…" Emma said, "when did you plan the curse?"

"In terms of…?" Regina said, "I can give you a time frame but it will make no sense to you…"

"In terms of me," Emma said, "did you plan it before or after Snow got pregnant with me?"

"Erm…" Regina said, "I had the idea the night your parents got married, so it was before Snow was pregnant with you."

"You're sure?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure when I planned it," Regina said, "this place isn't like your world Emma, everyone was a little more…_ innocent_ then."

"Right," Emma said, "no sex before marriage and all that. Does that mean… ew no never mind…"

"What?" Regina asked.

"I just made myself feel really sick," Emma said, "hate it when my brain won't shut off."

"Emma, what?" Regina asked.

"As you said, everyone was more innocent then…" Emma said, "does that mean… the first person that you… _you know_… was Snow's dad?"

"Let's not talk about that…" Regina said.

"There are sometimes things that jump up and slap you in face," Emma said, "like thoughts like that which remind you of the massive age difference here…"

"I haven't aged a day since the curse…" Regina said.

"That's my point," Emma said, "you haven't aged; I've aged 28 years…"

Regina didn't say anything.

"How old were you when you set the curse?" Emma asked.

"34…" Regina said.

"So we can add 28 years on that… oh my god…" Emma said, "You're probably the hottest 62 year old I have ever seen in my life."

"I have my own room you know…" Regina said.

"I'm joking baby," Emma said, "You not aging does have its advantages."

"Such as…" Regina said.

"Such as…" Emma replied, getting into bed, "we get to grow old together…"

"You bring up the age difference again and you won't be getting any older." Regina said.

"I'm surprised I made it to 28 with the life I led," Emma said, "any day over that's a bonus."

"You always have a smart-ass answer for everything," Regina said, "don't you."

"It's a gift…" Emma said.

"No," Regina said, "it's annoying."

Emma laughed a little.

"Go to sleep baby," Emma said, "you're turning into a bitch…"

Regina sighed and laid flat on the bed.

"I'm sorry…" she said.

"It's fine…" Emma replied, resting her head on Regina's shoulder, "I love you…"

"I love you too." Regina said, kissing Emma on the head.

x-x-x-x

The following morning Emma couldn't get the thoughts from the previous night out of her head. After going for a run around the grounds she headed to the dining room for breakfast. Her parents and Henry were already there.

"I've had a thought…" Emma said.

"Good morning to you too little Miss Sunshine." Snow said.

"Sorry," Emma said, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"We don't need to know." Snow said.

"Oh my god," Emma said, "is that all people think me and Regina do?"

"Well you do seem to always have a 'do not disturb' sign written on your door." Snow said.

"I do that when we're talking about things that no one else needs to hear," Emma said, "when we're actually having sex… Sorry Henry… I'm usually to in the moment to remember."

She'd thrown in the word sex to try and shock her mother into shutting up; completely forgetting Henry was there also.

"I need therapy…" Henry said, "A lot of therapy."

Emma laughed.

"You have no idea kid…" she said, "anyway, like I was saying before my mother insinuated that I'm actually a rabbit…"

"Enough." Snow said, "I'm sorry."

"Okay… So… last night, I was up all night," Emma said, she looked at Snow, "Thinking…"

"Okay Emma," Snow said, "you win, enough."

"I was thinking about the future, family, this place, where it's all going," Emma said, "what the end-game is…"

"That's good." Snow said.

"Not really," Emma said, "because it got me thinking about my past… like they say you can't go forwards without going backwards first… I realised that everything that I can remember in my life is connected. Everything."

"Everything?" Snow asked.

"Well I can take it from the moment I met Neal," Emma said, "but if I thought about it I could probably go farther back than that…"

"Connected how?" Henry asked.

"Well," Emma said, clearing her throat, "as you know Mr Gold was your dad's dad, which connects you to him, you to Storybrooke and me to Storybrooke, following me?"

"Yeah." Henry said.

"The night you arrived in Boston," Emma said, "I had literally just closed my eyes and made a wish that I wouldn't be alone on my birthday… in my mind I was thinking about what girls at school used to say, about having their families around them on their birthday, and I never had that. Ever. Then you show up… having been adopted by Regina, an adoption that was organised by Gold…"

"Okay…" Henry said.

"Which showed me my connection to Storybrooke," Emma said, continuing, "you then also became my connection to Regina… my connection to you strengthened daily, I realised I'd been an idiot giving you up, I felt a type of love that… it's a gift…"

She started pacing again, as she remembered the previous night.

"That love I felt for you, broke the curse," Emma said, "the original curse… the relationship I developed with Regina, partly due to my connection to you, stopped the failsafe…"

"And what developed between you on the ship," Snow said, "broke the rest of the curse…"

"Us getting back here, everyone getting back here," Emma said, "was dependent on me being in this world, and falling in love… I didn't realise how I felt for Regina until we went through that portal in Storybrooke on the pirate ship…"

"In that instance?" Snow asked.

"Labelling it as love," Emma said, "took me few days on that ship… feeling something that could have been love… I've always been nervous around her, figured it was fear or anger… The first time I came here to this land, I was with you and Hook. Nothing happened, no Storybrooke people popping up here. This time round however, with both Gold and Regina on the ship, the bottom fell out of Storybrooke…"

"So you both had to be here, to fall in love here, to break the rest of the curse there…" Snow said, "Which means…"

"The only way to ever get me and Regina both to leave Storybrooke and come here," Emma said, "Henry had to be here."

"And that part of the curse was added by Gold…" Regina said, walking into the room.

"So it makes sense to you now?" Emma asked Regina.

"Now I've slept," Regina said, "yes."

"But…" Henry said, "but you can't cast a spell to make two people fall in love…"

"Say that again Henry…" Emma said.

"True love…" Henry said, "was needed to break the second part of the curse, as well the first. So that means that the love you have for me is true love, obviously, but it also means that what you feel for my mom, that's true love too. It's like this rule, magic cannot be used to bring people back from the dead, or make them fall in love."

"You've been talking to your grandfather again…" Regina said.

"Not the point mom…" Henry said.

"I think he's trying to say that one thing not controlled by someone or something," Snow said, "was you two falling in love."

"How many more layers to this curse?" Regina asked.

"Guess we'll find out when we have to go rescue Henry," Emma said, "again."

"Not going to happen," Henry said, "I'm never leaving castle grounds again."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two.

Emma was in the castle grounds, sitting on the grass with her back against the apple tree, reading a book.

"Stop the press," Red said, "Emma Swan is reading a book."

"Getting some practice in so I can teach your boyfriend how to read," Emma said, "might make him stop looking at the picture books."

"Never said he was intelligent," Red said, "but he sure is hot."

They both burst out laughing.

"How's he healing?" Emma said, "after not letting me heal him."

"He's doing good," Red said, "he only said no to you healing him cause he got all the attention for his injuries and stories when we went to the Inn."

"Hook rescues Henry from Gold single handedly… excuse the pun…" Emma said, "Nope must have missed that headline."

"He's used to being the bad guy," Red said, "let him enjoying acting the hero for a while."

"Okay," Emma said, "but that better not mean that he's going to go all big time glory seeker on us does it, I don't want to have to rescue him."

"Moving on," Red said with a laugh, "what are you reading anyway?"

"A book I found in the library about multi-layered curses…" Emma said, "I'm trying to find something in here that makes me think I'm not going crazy…"

"Anything?" Red asked.

"Nothing…" Emma replied, "but it's a big book…"

"Maybe you are insane," Red said, "maybe everything is in your head…"

"I know it's all connected…" Emma said.

"No, I mean everything. Henry, Regina, Storybrooke, here… This conversation…" Red said, "this could be one of those 'your life is so tragic, you end up insane, and create this world in your head where you get to be a hero' things. Maybe that's the end-game you're looking for."

Emma looked at her in complete shock.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Nothing…" Red said, finally failing to hold in the laughter that had been threatening to come out since she had the idea, "sorry, couldn't help it. You know how things just pop into my head."

"You're one sick puppy Red…" Emma said.

"That's not news Princess." Red replied, "I'll leave you to your book, Henry is going to show me his new tree house."

"They finally finished it?" Emma asked.

"Don't you keep up with things that go on in your own castle," Red said, "or are you too busy caught up with a certain very attractive brunette?"

"Why does everyone think all me and Regina do is have sex?" Emma shouted at the back of an exiting Red.

"It's not _all_ we do…" Regina said to Red as she passed her.

Emma could hear Red laugh, she had no idea what Regina had said to her, but she was pretty sure she'd regret it.

"It's Regina and I, darling…" Regina said.

Emma looked confused.

"Why does everyone think all Regina and I do is have sex." Regina said, with a wink.

"Is that not what I said?" Emma asked.

"No dear." Regina said, looking at the book she was reading.

"Oh well," Emma said, "I'm tired…"

"Tiredness is no excuse for bad language skills Princess." Regina said.

"Again with the Princess shit…" Emma said.

"You really are tired aren't you." Regina said.

"You think?" Emma said, "I've had about three hours sleep in the last three days. Saviour or no saviour there isn't enough caffeine in this entire Kingdom to even start to make that amount of sleep bearable."

"Why did you not tell me you weren't sleeping?" Regina asked her face now full of concern.

"So you wouldn't do this…" Emma said.

"Do what?" Regina asked.

"Worry." Emma said.

"Have you seen the doctor?" Regina asked.

"Honey, it's an attack of insomnia, it'll pass," Emma said, "it always does."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked.

"It's happened on and off for as long as I can remember." Emma said.

"What do you normally do when it happens?" Regina asked.

"Not sleep." Emma said.

"Don't even…" Regina said.

"Sorry," Emma replied, "usually when it would hit, I would move on. Move from one place to another… plus it's probably down to the crazy-ass vivid dreams I've been having lately."

"Dreams?" Regina asked, "what kind of dreams?"

"Really odd dreams," Emma said, "in them I never came to Storybrooke… but you're still in my dreams…"

"That's odd…" Regina said, "I had a very similar dream myself last night… Henry wasn't there, but you were… so was Jefferson…"

"In a white lab coat?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Regina said, "and a terrible hat…"

"He wasn't wearing the hat in mine…" Emma said.

"So we had a similar kind of dream, but it couldn't have been a shared dream," Regina said, "because we didn't have shared experiences…"

"Which means what?" Emma asked.

"Emma, you're in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said, "it's probably best not to try and analyse the things that we dream here… some mean something, others mean nothing."

"You knew Jefferson as the Mad Hatter right?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Regina replied.

"I didn't," Emma said, "to me he was the crazy guy who lived in the big house and made hats. So maybe that accounts for the hat you saw…"

"Maybe," Regina said, "but like I said, it probably means nothing."

"I guess…" Emma said, "plus you only had the dream last night, and I've had it for four days. Maybe my magic found a way to creep into your dreams again…"

"Again?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, forget I said that…" Emma said.

Regina gave her 'the look'. The look that terrified her in Storybrooke.

"It was an accident," Emma said, "one minute I'm dreaming about driving my bug through these forests, and the next I'm getting flashes of dreams that aren't mine…"

"Which dream?" Regina asked.

"It involved you and me, no clothes, in the loft of the stables…" Emma said, "and a lot of er… perspiration…"

"That _was_ a good one…" Regina said with a smile, "but still, magically entering someone's mind, without their prior permission, in magical circles is seen up there with…"

"Don't finish that sentence Regina," Emma said, "it was an accident…"

"I know," Regina said, as she started to walk away.

Emma sighed; it was going to be a long night.

"For the record Princess," Regina said, turning to face her again, "I give you my permission to magically enter my dreams again any time you want…"

Another look, though this was the one that made Emma melt on the spot.

x-x-x-x

Emma decided to stop by and see Henry's new tree house, and asked him a question about Regina.

As she approached the tree house she heard Henry.

"I will kill you werewolf," he shouted, "before you kill all my chickens."

Emma laughed; chickens would be snacks to a wolf like Red.

"A wolf like…" she looked through the clearing, "Red!"

The wolf that was scratching the tree under the massive tree house turned to face her. She changed forms.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Emma asked.

"It's called make-believe Emma." Red said.

"It's called wolfing out in front of my son." Emma said.

"Mom," Henry said, "I was safe, it's Red."

"Not the point Henry," Emma said, "so not the point…"

"I'll see you later kid," Red said to Henry, before walking over to Emma, "he was perfectly safe."

With that Red left.

"You always spoil everything." Henry shouted at her, disappearing off into the tree house.

Emma climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch. She was amazed at what she saw; the place was decorated like the inside of her bug.

"Wow," she said, "Henry this is amazing…"

"My mom did it," Henry said, "because she remembered that your bug was where we spent a lot of time when you first came to Storybrooke, planning Operation Cobra, she said it was kinda like our place… and she figured we could spend time in here together… Like we did then…"

"Henry," Emma said, "I know I haven't been around a lot in the last week just to have fun with…"

"I know, you have all these new powers to learn, and Princess training and… other stuff." Henry said.

"That's no excuse…" Emma said, "It's just this whole thing, pirate ship through a portal, Neverland, here… it's a lot for me to take in… For you its different, this is every 10 year olds dream, to be somewhere like this… I'm trying to be the person that everyone expects me to be… The person you expect me to be… And in doing so, I'm doing the one thing I promised myself I'd never do… make you miss out."

"I'm not missing out mom…" Henry said, giving her a hug.

"But you are," Emma said, "and all that is going to change, I promise…"

"I love you mom." Henry said.

"Love you too kid." Emma replied, kissing his head, "so, what adventures do you want to plan?"

x-x-x-x

It was getting late, and both Emma and Henry were nowhere to be seen.

"What do you think could have happened to them?" Snow asked.

"I'm sure they are fine," Charming said, "maybe they've gone out for a ride on the horses."

"At night," Snow said, "Emma wouldn't be that stupid."

"I found them." Regina said, walking into the room, "they are fast asleep in Henry's tree house, it looks like they've been planning a big adventure."

"What kind of adventure?" Snow asked.

"Now that would be telling," Regina said, "and it's not our adventure, it's theirs."

x-x-x-x

Emma thought she was on a bad trip when she opened her eyes, and then she remembered where she was. The last thing she remembered was that it had been dark outside, now the daylight was spilling in through the windows.

"Morning kid…" she said, kissing Henry on the head.

"Morning…" he replied, stretching his legs.

"Did you sleep okay?" Emma asked, sitting up, "I'm not sure this place was built to sleep in."

"I slept great," Henry said, "did you sleep okay?"

"Actually, yeah," Emma said, "for the first time in days."

There was a knock on the hatch, Emma opened it.

"I come bearing gifts." Regina said, "breakfast."

"Will you eat with us?" Emma asked.

"I've already eaten," she replied, "I'll see you inside."

With a smile she was gone.

"What was that all about?" Emma asked, "think she pissed… sorry, upset that we fell asleep in here?"

"No," Henry said, "like I said, this is our place, she and I have a place too…"

"Where?" Emma asked.

"I'm not telling you because then you'll try and be there," he said, forming quotation marks with his fingers, "accidentally."

Emma had to laugh.

She heard someone shouting on the ground below.

"Emma," Hook shouted, "come down here."

"What the hell does the mad pirate want…?" Emma said.

She opened the hatch and went down the ladder.

"What?" she asked, "I'm trying to eat breakfast with my kid…"

"Sorry Henry," Hook said, "but you understand."

"That I do…" Henry said, "Go ahead."

"Go ahead?" Emma asked.

"I challenge you to a sword fight." Hook said.

"Really." Emma said.

"You upset his fair maiden Mom," Henry shouted down, "it's for her honour. Pirate law."

"Okay…" Emma said.

She raised her hands, sending Hook flying backwards.

"Go back and tell her you kicked my ass." Emma said, climbing back up the ladder.

"That was cheating Mom." Henry said.

"It was stupid anyway Henry." Emma said, eating some of the food that Regina has brought down, "and anyway, I think I get away with that for the amount of times he's upset my fair maiden."

They both burst out laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

She laid there in the castle grounds, with her head on Regina's legs, watching Henry play with Pongo.

"What's going on in that gorgeous mind of yours?" Regina asked, looking down from her book.

"Huh…" Emma said, snapping out of her daydream, "nothing… just thinking about how happy he is here…"

"He does seem very settled." Regina said.

"Very settled?" Emma asked with a laugh, "haven't seen him this happy in… a while."

"I forgot to tell you earlier," Regina said, "Snow is taking him out later. One of the kids he used to go to school with is having a birthday party…"

"Did we get a gift?" Emma asked.

"Of course." Regina replied.

"Good," Emma said with a laugh, "do you ever think that maybe we might be doing that kid some damage?"

Regina put her book down, and looked at Emma.

"In what way?" she asked.

"Well he isn't exactly having a normal childhood is he," Emma said, "not that he ever did, but… in Storybrooke he was going to school, socialising, being a kid."

"And here he has tutors and is going to be King one day," Regina said, "that has to change the way he is being brought up."

"Does it have to though?" Emma asked, "surely he can still go to school, and have friends… I just worry about him sometimes…"

"He has friends." Regina said.

"A pirate, a werewolf, a dog and a cricket?" Emma asked, "tell me again how he's normal."

"This is really bothering you isn't it." Regina said.

"Yeah," Emma replied, "it really is…"

"We'll talk to him about it later," Regina said, "let him decide if he wants to go back to school…"

"Okay…" Emma said, "what are we doing later if they are going out?"

"Granny's opening," Regina said, "we promised we'd go."

"Is that tonight?" Emma asked.

"You forgot?" Regina asked.

"Maybe…" Emma replied.

"We only have to go for an hour," Regina said, "then if you want to leave, we'll leave."

"Red will be there…" Emma said.

"And that's a problem?" Regina asked.

"Could be," Emma said, "we had… issues yesterday. I probably overreacted, but couldn't help it."

"You'll work it out," Regina said, "you always do."

"If she doesn't wolf-out again in front of Henry," Emma said, "then we might be able to work it out."

"Explain…" Regina said.

"She and Henry were playing, him in the new tree house, and her outside it," Emma said, "and when I arrived she was in wolf form…"

"But its Red," Regina said, "she's about as dangerous as a 6 week old puppy."

"She's a werewolf Regina." Emma said.

"Yes, but she can control her wolf instincts," Regina said, "you shouted at her for playing with our son?"

"I may have done…" Emma said.

"Emma she's your friend," Regina said, "she risked her to life to try and save Henry… she wouldn't hurt him."

"Not intentionally…" Emma said.

"Not at all." Regina replied.

"I'm just being a protective parent…" Emma said.

"Isn't that my job?" Regina asked, "you're the fun one remember."

Emma laughed.

"It's just…" Emma started to say, "he just thinks this world is amazing, full of wonderful things… its dangerous Regina…"

"Any world is dangerous Emma," Regina said, "at least here he can walk across the street without being hit by a car."

"Yeah, he'll get kidnapped by some Shadow thing instead," Emma said, "or taken away by some dragon who wants to eat him, or some ogre that wants to crush his bones… or whatever it is they do…"

"Mostly just eat," Regina said, "crushing the bones is only for special occasions."

"Really not helping…" Emma said.

"You, my dear," Regina said, "need to relax. Where's that amazing sense of humour?"

"Took the day off." Emma said.

"I can think of something…" Regina started to say.

"Really not in the mood." Emma said, interrupting her.

"Fair enough." Regina said, picking her book back up again, and continuing reading.

"I didn't mean…" Emma started, "Regina…"

"No its fine," Regina said, "Emma is having a bad day so everyone else's has to suffer too, you'd think I would remember that by now…"

"I'm going for a run." Emma said.

Standing up she headed to the castle to get changed.

"Mom," Henry said walking over to her, "where is Emma going?"

"For a run." Regina replied.

"She looked pretty p… upset." Henry said.

"What did you nearly say?" Regina said.

"It was an accident…" Henry said.

"Emma lets you swear?" Regina asked.

"No mom, that would be stupid." Henry said.

"Don't you ever let me hear you swearing," Regina said, "okay?"

"Okay," Henry said, "sorry…"

"It's fine," Regina said, "do you want to stop that dog digging up the roses?"

"Pongo…" Henry shouted, running back to where the dog was currently nose deep in soil.

Regina couldn't help but smile to herself.

She went back to trying to read her book. The pages went blank. Suddenly the words "She's in trouble" appeared on the page in front of her.

"Emma…" Regina said, standing up, dropping the book and running to the castle.

x-x-x-x

Emma struggled to open her eyes, the bright light forcing them closed again.

"Do you wanna get that light out of my face…" She said.

"Are you back with us Miss Swan?" someone asked her.

"That depends where back with us is…" Emma said, looking around her, "What is this place? Who are you people? Where's my…"

"Your?" the guy asked.

"I know you…" Emma said.

"I would hope so Miss Swan," he said, "I've been your doctor for a year."

"Doctor?" Emma asked, "oh no, this isn't right, something is very wrong…"

"Let's see how long she stays with us this time," the doctor said, "have someone outside her room at all times. I don't want them encouraging each other again."

"Who…?" Emma asked.

"Never you mind," he said, "you just concentrate on remembering where you are."

x-x-x-x

By the time Regina made it up to Emma's room, the blonde was sitting on the floor, holding her head.

"Emma," Regina said, "are you okay?"

"I slipped," Emma said, "I tripped over my jacket and hit my head…"

"Let me take a look at that…" Regina said.

Emma grimaced when Regina started to feel her head, she could feel the bump growing already.

"Saw some weird shit when I was unconscious," Emma said, "Ouch, Regina, what the fuck…"

"Sorry…" Regina said, "Just checking there's no permanent damage…"

"Regina, I'm more likely to suffer brain damage from you damn near sticking your fingers into my head…" Emma said.

"Emma," Regina said, "I touched the developing bump, like this…"

She touched Emma's arm really softly.

"There was no sticking fingers in your head." Regina said.

"Well that's what it felt like," Emma said, "do you want to heal it already?"

Regina put her hand in front of Emma's head, using magic to get rid of the bump.

"And the headache?" Emma asked.

"A reminder of why you need to pick your clothes up off the floor," Regina said, "it's like living with a barn yard animal at times."

Emma lay down on the bed.

"If I hadn't been in such a rush to get up here," Emma said, "I would have noticed my jacket on the floor, and I wouldn't have tripped on it."

"If you'd have hung it up, this morning when got changed," Regina said, "it wouldn't have been on the floor to trip over."

"Regina, my head hurts…" Emma said, "Can we leave discussing one of my many imperfections until I've slept this headache off…"

She closed her eyes. Regina smiled and walked over to her.

"I think your imperfections are perfect…" she said quietly, kissing Emma on the head before leaving the room.

x-x-x-x

"I think she's back doctor…" Emma heard someone say.

"Oh hell no…" Emma said.

She struggled to get up before realising she was strapped to the bed.

"Excuse me," someone else said, "Dr Jefferson that Alice girl down at the end of the hall is talking about white rabbits and talking cat heads again."

"It seems you're not the only one who wants to live in a fairy tale Miss Swan." Dr Jefferson said, leaving the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

Regina had gone in to check on Emma a few hours after Emma decided to sleep off her headache; she was still sleeping it off.

"Must have been a bigger headache than she was letting on…" Regina said, walking over to the bed, "Emma, honey?"

Emma shifted in her sleep, which made Regina smile.

"I'll wake you in a couple of hours to go to Granny's…" she said, kissing Emma on the head.

x-x-x-x

Finally shifting about enough to work loose the restraints on her wrists, Emma sat up and got to work on the ones on her ankles. She had no idea what was going on or who was behind it, but she was going to find out.

"Finally you're awake," a familiar voice said.

Emma looked up to see a woman who looked like her mother, and sounded like her mother, walk into the room.

"What the hell is this place?" Emma asked.

"How long were you gone this time?" the woman who could've been Snow said.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, "Gone where?"

"Back to square one I see," she replied, "I managed to get you a couple of those pills you like so much, the ones that knock you right out…"

She handed Emma the pills.

"Got to be better than this nightmare…" Emma said, taking them.

She lay down on the bed, her hands getting put back in the restraints.

"Happy dreaming Miss Swan…" the woman said, leaving the room and closing the door.

x-x-x-x

Emma sat bolt upright in bed.

"What the hell is going on…" she said.

Her head was still pounding, everything she remembered about the crazy dream blurred together, so she couldn't make sense of any of it.

She looked around; she was back in her bed, in her room. She remembered hitting her head, Regina healing the bump, then sleeping off the remaining headache.

"Or that was the plan…" Emma said, not able to keep her eyes open without squinting.

The door opened slowly, and in walked Regina.

"Feeling any better?" Regina asked.

Emma looked at her.

"I'll take that as a no…" Regina said.

"Stupid headache…" Emma said.

Regina sat on the bed next to Emma. Emma lay back down.

"Oh Emma… come here…" Regina said, lying next to her, Emma put her head on Regina's shoulder.

"I don't want to go back to sleep…" Emma said, relaxing into Regina's embrace.

"Won't it make you feel better?" Regina asked.

"Usually…" Emma replied, "But this headache is a million times worse than it was when I went to sleep…"

"Let me get rid of it…" Regina said, she put her hand over Emma's head, the moment she started to use magic Emma was in pain.

"God, Regina, stop." Emma said, "that's even worse…"

"You'd better not be putting this on so we don't have to go to Granny's." Regina said.

"Give me your hand, and I'll show you how much it hurts…" Emma said.

Regina took her hand, and Emma used her magic to show Regina just how painful her headache was.

"My god," Regina said, letting go of Emma's hand, "how are you not screaming right now?"

"High pain threshold…" Emma replied.

"Let me go and get you something to get rid of it," Regina said, "if magic won't shift it, this will."

"You're coming back right?" Emma asked.

"Always…" Regina said.

She kissed Emma's head and got off the bed.

"Don't fall asleep…" Emma said to herself, "don't fall asleep…"

x-x-x-x

"How's Emma doing?" Snow said to Regina, who was in the garden grinding something up.

"Her headache is worse." Regina said.

"Can't you heal it?" Snow asked.

"Magic just makes it worse," Regina replied, "so I figured…"

"You're using apples?" Snow asked.

"No," Regina replied, "the apple will mask the taste, because I guarantee she won't like the taste of that."

Regina held the little pot up so Snow could smell it.

"Oh god," Snow said, "That is disgusting."

"Works wonders though." Regina replied.

x-x-x-x

"Don't… fall…" Emma said quietly to herself.

x-x-x-x

"She's asleep again…" Regina said, as she and Snow walked into Emma's room.

Regina walked over to Emma and placed a hand on her head.

"She's burning up…" she said.

"Are you sure it's just a headache?" Snow said, "you said she hit her head pretty hard."

"There's no damage to her head," Regina said, "I checked with magic…"

"Maybe it's a 'her world' thing…" Snow said, "I remember feeling pretty unwell over there sometimes."

"But something that magic would make worse?" Regina asked.

"Perhaps when she's really ill her body rejects magic," Snow said, "might not be a 'her world' thing, might just be an Emma thing."

"Maybe…" Regina said.

"Me and Henry…" Snow started to say, till Regina gave her a look, "Henry and I will stay here tonight," Snow said, "make sure she's okay."

"Don't be silly," Regina said, "he's been looking forward to this party, and I know you have. It's been a while since you've been around all the kids. I'll send a guard to get you if anything happens."

"Okay," Snow said, "thank you."

Regina smiled a little and sat next to Emma on the bed.

"Please be okay…" Regina said quietly, stroking her hair.

x-x-x-x

"Get me the hell out of this bed!" Emma shouted.

The little latch in the door opened.

"Keep up the shouting Miss Swan and we'll give you more drugs." Said a man outside.

"Let me out of the bed and I'll stop shouting." Emma said.

"I don't see what harm it could do…" he said, opening the door.

He unfastened the restraints around Emma's wrists.

"No funny business now." He said to Emma, as he moved to remove the restraints on her feet.

"What do you think a girl my size could possible do to worry a guy your size." Emma replied.

"Good point." He said with a laugh, looking at Emma.

She smiled at him, as soon as his back was turned the smile fell from Emma's face, to be replaced by something a little more sinister. If looks could kill.

As soon as she felt the strap fall from her ankle, she wrapped her arm around his throat, keeping it in place with her other arm, until he lost consciousness.

"Sorry…" Emma said, as he dropped to the floor, "now which way is out…"

Emma got off the bed; all her senses were reacting, almost buzzing. She shook her head, and then clicked her neck.

"I guess I shouldn't be standing up…" Emma said, "oh well…"

As soon as she got into the hallway, she started looking for signs.

"Like they are going to advertise the exit…" Emma said to herself.

The hallway was empty, so she ran to the end of the hall.

"There was a white rabbit, who gave me cake," a girl said to her, "and a cat that could be just a head… and a caterpillar who was smoking something weird…"

"Sounds like a regular Saturday night in Boston." Emma said.

"So you believe me?" the girl asked.

"If that's what you say happened, then yes, I believe it happened," Emma said, "I'm trying to find my way back to my parents Snow White and Prince Charming and my lover the Evil Queen… if you want rabbits, cats heads and stoned caterpillar's that's your choice…"

"You really are insane." The girl said, "Snow White and Prince Charming never had children."

"Probably not in the fairy tales you read," Emma said, "they probably didn't tell you that Peter Pan is an evil shadow that steals children from another world and traps them on Neverland."

The girl ran off down the hallway.

"Whoops…" Emma said to herself, "something I said…"

She looked right, and she looked left. There were doors at the end of the hallway on each side; Emma figured they probably lead to some stairs.

"Left or right," Emma said, "left or right…"

"You usually go right…" said a very familiar voice behind a locked door.

"Regina...?" Emma asked.

Just as she was about to look through the latch, a pair of arms grabbed her round the waist.

"No you don't Little Miss Saviour." Said another familiar voice.

"Greg…" Emma said, turning to look at him.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked.

"Oddly enough, no…" Emma said.

"Back to bed for you Miss Swan." Said Tamara as she walked around the corner.

She injected Emma with something to make her a little more compliant.

"Or was it always left…" Regina said, with a laugh.

That was the last thing Emma heard before her eyes closed.

x-x-x-x

"Emma," Regina said, as Emma started to open her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Left or right Regina?" Emma asked, shifting away from her on the bed.

"What?" Regina asked a look of complete confusion on her face.

"Left or right?" Emma repeated, her voice cracking slightly.

"Left," Regina said, "it's always left…"

The memories again blurred into one, causing the pain to return.

"What the hell is happening to me…?" Emma said.

"I have no idea," Regina said, "I'm going to send for Mr Gold…"

"What? Why?" Emma asked.

"Because I don't know what's happening to you, so I don't know how to help you," Regina said, "but he might…"

"Just make the pain stop…" Emma said.

x-x-x-x

By the time Mr Gold arrived at Snow White's castle Emma was shivering in bed.

"What the…" Emma started, "hell is wrong with me?"

"I'm not exactly sure…" he said, "there is magic involved, but I don't know where it originates…"

"It feels like I have the dwarves and the fairies having a rock fight in my head…" Emma said, "I could do with more than an 'I'm not exactly sure'."

Snow and Henry were standing in the doorway with Charming and Pongo. For some reason Pongo kept growling but he seemed to be growling at nothing in particular.

"Henry…" Emma said, "what's… wrong with that dog?"

"Nothing," Henry said, "he's fine."

"He's growling…" Emma said.

"Maybe he sees some dust or something…" Snow said.

"The pain is getting worse again…" Emma said, "someone get Henry out of here…"

"Emma…" Henry said, "no…"

"Get him out of here…" Emma said.

"Come on kid," Charming said, "Let's go hang out downstairs, I don't think your mom wants you to see her in pain…"

"Okay," Henry said, "I love you Emma…"

"Right back at ya kid…" Emma said, managing a small smile.

Snow walked in the room as Charming, Henry and Pongo left. She closed the door. Emma screamed.

"She'll be okay right?" Henry asked his granddad out in the hallway.

"She's the Saviour, the hero," Charming said, "in fairy tales they always live forever…"


	5. Chapter 5

_This is a bit of a long intense chapter. Please stick with it till the end, when all should become a little clearer. This idea has been running around my head for a couple of days, as a possible end-game. I'd love to hear what readers think of it :)_

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x_

Chapter Five.

"All this travelling back and forwards must really be hurting your head Miss Swan," Dr Jefferson said, "though the drugs are certainly working because you're returning quicker each time."

"Who are you…?" Emma said.

"We've been through…" he started to say.

"No," Emma said, "none of this 'I've been your doctor for a year' bullshit. I can't take the pain in my head anymore. Who the hell are you?"

"Your doctor Emma." He said.

Emma banged her head on the bed in frustration.

"But I know that's a lie," she said, "If that were true then everything I love is…"

"In your head," he said, "yes."

"No," Emma said, "it's real. I know it's real. I've seen people die, I've felt pain above anything you can ever imagine, I was happy."

"You were happy in a reality you created for yourself, to escape your years of drug misuse after you lost your son Henry 10 years ago." He said.

"No," Emma said, "no… that's not even a funny thing to try and make me believe…"

"You'll remember it all in time Miss Swan," he said, undoing Emma's restraints, "you always do."

With that he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"No…" Emma said to herself, "This is all in my head… This is the place that isn't real…"

She started pacing up and down.

"Why would they try telling me Henry died," she said to herself, "he's alive, he's alive in the Enchanted Forest with my mom and dad… with every fibre of my being I know that's true."

She tried the door handle on her door, expecting it to be locked, surprisingly it was open.

She wandered down the hallway, following the sound of a TV. She arrived in what must have been the TV room; she looked around, a load of people talking to the walls, themselves, the plants. Chewing their fingers, the edge of the table, a chair leg.

The woman who looked like Snow White walked over to her.

"Cigarette?" she said, offering Emma a packet of cigarettes.

"I don't smoke…" Emma said.

"So you didn't start smoking at 14 with the other weird kids under the bleachers at school?" she asked.

"I did…" Emma said, "but I stopped…"

"On your 28th birthday?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Emma said, "how do you know that?"

"You told me Emma." She said.

"How could I have told you?" Emma asked, "I'd never seen you before you came walking into that room and gave me the pills that sent me back home…"

"And how would I know they took your mind back to the Enchanted Forest Emma?" she asked.

"Because I told you…?" Emma asked in reply.

"Because you told me." She replied.

Emma took a cigarette, lighting it up she was surprised that it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"After what you've told me of your life Emma," the woman said, "I'm not surprised you created this whole little world for yourself, where instead of feeling like the failure of a human being you felt like, you got to be a hero. Instead of watching the people around you die in one way or another, you got to rescue them, and you got to see Henry…"

"Don't talk about him." Emma said, finishing the cigarette, "Talk about anything else you want, but not him…"

Emma walked out of the room and down the hallway, to the room she had heard Regina's voice from. The door was open, and the person who looked like Regina was lying, apparently sleeping, on the bed. Dr Jefferson was standing near her.

"What's happening with her?" Emma asked.

"She's still trapped Emma," Dr Jefferson said, "she's still in the Enchanted Forest…"

"She'll snap out of it," Emma said, "she was here earlier."

"We need you to bring her back again Emma," the doctor said, "that way we can start her on the same drug program as you, and you'll both get better."

"Get better?" Emma asked.

"That's what you want isn't it?" the doctor said, "You've said to me before that you just want both you and Regina to get better so you can leave here together."

"So the feelings I have for her in the other world in…" Emma started.

"In your head…" he said.

"Are the same here?" Emma asked.

"Oh yes," he said, "you've definitely created a strong bond since you both arrived here."

"How did we both end up living…" Emma started.

"In the world in your head?" Jefferson asked.

"Yeah…" Emma said.

There was something about the way he kept saying 'in your head' that was starting to irritate Emma, every time he said those words it was like her mind clouded over.

"That we're not too sure of," he said, "it's pretty obvious that you both have very different experiences of the same world. She was the all-powerful Evil Queen, you the sheriff."

"Not all-powerful," Emma said, "Gold was stronger."

"That's right," the doctor said, "until you travelled from Storybrooke to…"

"Neverland…" Emma said.

Dr Jefferson twitched slightly when Emma said Neverland, but she didn't see it, she was too busy looking at Regina.

"Where you fell in love," he continued, "and your powers together were enough to destroy him."

"Why did it all feel so real?" Emma asked.

"Because your heart made it real," he replied, "you wanted so much to be loved and feel wanted and needed, and because of that, in your little world, it felt real."

"It still feels real now…" Emma said.

"That'll fade," he replied, "like it usually does."

"So I get her back here…" Emma said, "You put her on the same crap you're giving me and everything will be peachy?"

"Given time…" he said.

"Okay," Emma said, "knock me out again, let's get this over with."

x-x-x-x

Regina could see Emma starting to come round again.

"Where is everyone?" Emma asked.

"Downstairs," Regina said, "do you want me to go and get them?"

"No," Emma said, "I need to tell you something really important, that none of them can know…"

"Okay," Regina said, "Emma, what's going on?"

"This world," Emma said, "it's not real… They aren't real…"

"What are you talking about Emma?" Regina asked.

"It's not real Regina," Emma said, "none of it, and I know why my whole life seemed planned, like a script… because it was, I planned it."

"You planned it?" Regina said.

"Yeah," Emma said, "think about it, messed up kid, jail time, not much clean living… turns out actually to be a hero, saving a town of people…"

"Emma…" Regina said.

"A town that doesn't exist, it's on no maps, unless you have a connection to it you can't find it, the road just goes straight through…" Emma said, "And all the people living in this town are actually fairy tale characters from another world…"

"Emma, we've been through this, on Hooks ship," Regina said, "we made a joke about it; we said that no one else would believe it."

"Because it's not true Regina," Emma said, "none of it."

Regina walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma said.

"I'll be back in a minute," Regina replied, "I just need to get something."

"Don't you tell them Regina," Emma said, "they can't know…"

Regina cast a spell, locking Emma in the room.

"That can't hold me," Emma said, "we're not in Storybrooke now, I have powers to remember."

"It will hold you Emma," Regina said quietly, "I'm so sorry to have to do it, but hopefully you will forgive me… eventually."

Regina went downstairs to where the others were.

"She's awake…" Regina said.

"Can I see her?" Henry asked.

"There's something very wrong with her…" Regina said.

"Henry," Charming said, "do you want to come with me and see if there's any more chocolate cake left in the kitchen, let the adults do some talking…"

Henry stood up.

"He needs to hear this," Regina said, "she is his mother after all…"

He sat back down.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Gold asked.

"I'm not keeping this from him," Regina said, "my son, my choice."

"Okay," Snow said, "what's wrong with my little girl?"

"That's the thing," Regina said, "well one of them; she doesn't think she is your little girl… She believes that this world isn't real."

"What?" Snow asked.

"She thinks that she created this world, in her head," Regina said, "she thinks everyone here doesn't exist…"

"Even me?" Henry asked.

"I don't know Henry…" Regina replied, "Something has hold of her, something dark, and it's destroying her mind."

"Whoever is doing it has a lot of power," Mr Gold said, "to hold someone's mind for the amount of time he's had Emma's, and to make her believe that what she knows to be true actually a lie."

"Who has that kind of power?" Snow asked, "And who would want to destroy Emma?"

"Not only destroy Emma, destroy all of us…" Charming said.

"Without her…" Henry said.

"We may as well not exist." Charming replied.

"Even at my darkest I couldn't have done it," Regina said, "not for this amount of time, and there's no way she would ever believe it as fully as she does…"

"I could…" Mr Gold said, "It would have taken a lot of my power but I could have done it."

Regina looked at him.

"But it isn't me," he said, "at the moment I can barely transport myself from my front door to my main hall…"

"So the Dark One could do it…" Henry said.

"But Emma and Regina destroyed the blade Henry," Gold said, "no blade no Dark One."

"We didn't actually ever see the parts of it…" Regina said.

"Mary Poppins on a cloud…" Henry said.

"What?" Snow asked.

"After they destroyed the blade," Henry said, "Emma said it would just be her luck if Mary Poppins was sitting on a cloud putting the pieces back together."

"And I said that Mary Poppins isn't a real fairy tale character…" Regina said.

"But what if something else took the parts?" Henry asked, "what if they magically put them back together…"

"Then I'd say we're in a lot more trouble than Miss Swan losing her mind." Mr Gold said.

x-x-x-x

Everyone walked upstairs to Emma's room, Regina lifted the spell and the door exploded.

"You locked me in." Emma said.

"Look at the door." Snow said.

"Fireballs will do that," Emma said, "doesn't matter anyway because it's not really even a door."

"And you trashed your room?" Regina asked.

"Not even really here," Emma said, "we get out of here and this place doesn't even exist."

"Mom…" Henry said, walking over to Emma.

She looked down at him, swallowing a lump that had appeared in her throat.

"That includes you kid…" Emma said, "sorry…"

"How can you think I don't exist," Henry said, "we broke the curse remember, the way you feel about me broke the curse… Remember Emma."

"Figured you'd all try and change my mind once you knew," Emma said, she looked at Regina, "and that is why I told you not to tell them. I want to get better Regina; I want you to get better…"

"Say he doesn't exist Emma." Snow said.

She looked at Snow.

"I don't have to do anything you tell me to do." Emma said.

"Say it." Gold said, "Say the most precious thing in the world to you doesn't exist Emma."

Emma didn't say anything, but she was getting angrier by the second.

"If you say Henry doesn't exist," Regina said, "the boy that we very nearly killed each other over in Storybrooke… the boy that made you see that someone else could love you… the boy that brought us together, in every possible way… doesn't exist, then I'll believe you Emma."

"Stop it," Emma said, "stop it… Stop trying to get me to feel things that aren't real. He can't be real, he can't love me, no one can love me. I'm starting to doubt that even you do."

Emma had backed up against the far wall of her bedroom. Henry started to walk over to her.

"Emma…" he said.

"Stay away from me…" she said.

"No…" he said, walking over and taking her hand, "because I do love you. I am real. This place is real, and everyone in this room loves you. Please Emma, try to remember."

"Regina…" Emma said with tears in her eyes, "I can prove to you that it's not real… give me your hand."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"I can show you it's not real," Emma said, "I can take you back with me…"

Regina took a step towards Emma.

"Indulging her fantasies isn't going to help her." Gold said.

"The fact that she can't take me anywhere will make her see that she needs help." Regina said to him.

"And if she can take you somewhere?" he said, "then what, we lose you both."

"No," Regina said, "then I make her see that wherever we end up isn't real."

"You can't destroy anything on your own Regina," Gold said, "not if we are talking about the Dark One. You need Emma."

"I'll bring her back," Regina said, "I promise."

Regina walked over to Emma.

"Time to let go Henry…" Regina said.

"No…" Henry said, "I want to come."

"You can't come kid," Emma said, without looking at him, "only reserved two seats back on the return flight…"

Henry dropped Emma's hand and ran over to Snow, who held him close as Emma took Regina's hand. Both of them collapsed to the floor.

x-x-x-x

Emma opened her eyes, and she was back in her four walls of the hospital. Jefferson was standing there.

"Did it work?" Emma asked.

"Yes, it did." He replied.

"Now leave me the fuck alone." Emma said.

"Emma, this is the first step on your road to getting better." He said.

"I understand that," Emma said, "but I've also just told Henry…"

"The Henry in your head." The doctor said.

"In my head," she repeated, "that he isn't real… now real or not, that fucking hurts, so get out."

"You remember what time dinner is ready in the dinner hall don't you." He said.

"I'll tell you what you can do with that dinner in a minute," Emma said, "get the fuck out of my space."

He started to leave the room.

"Do you know something," Emma said, "you even annoyed me in Storybrooke… kept me locked up for a while there too…"

"It's always the people who try and help us see the truth, even if we don't want to see it, that are written as the villains of the piece." The doctor said, leaving the room and closing the door.

"Villains of the piece…" Emma said to herself, "that rings a bell."

She sat up on the bed.

"Where do I…" she started, "Hook… That is some complex shit right there…"

She laughed to herself, lying back down.

"How did I manage to convince myself that shit actually happened…" she said to herself.

"Because it did." Regina said, standing at the foot of Emma's bed.

"I didn't even hear the door open…" Emma said, "the door did open right?"

"No, Emma, it didn't," Regina said, "I transported myself in here. They still think I'm asleep."

"That's not funny anymore…" Emma said, sitting up.

"It wasn't funny in the first place," Regina said, "nor was it funny for you to break our son's heart by basically telling him he isn't real."

"If they still think you're asleep," Emma said, trying to block out what Regina said, "then you haven't started the treatment yet… give it a few hours, you'll see that it didn't happen…"

"Emma, look deep within your heart," Regina said, "you'll know what's real and what's not, the heart never lies."

"See, that's where you're wrong," Emma said, "the doctor told me that it felt so real to me because my heart wanted it to, so therefore I can't trust it to show me anything."

"Shit…" Regina said, "They really have covered every possible avenue…"

"They don't have to cover anything Regina…" Emma said, "Because if you think about it, what they say makes perfect sense… I even knew it in the world in my head… I was having a conversation with Red, under that apple tree, and we were talking about this book I was reading… and she said that maybe I was insane, and that was all in my head… and now I see it was right."

"If it's all not real…" Regina said, "how can I do this?"

With that she vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Doc…" Emma shouted, "I'm gonna need some more of those pills…"

x-x-x-x

Regina was pacing her room.

"I can't get her to look in her heart," Regina said, "I can't appeal to her softer side… She has an answer for every little thing I throw at her… but that's so Emma anyway… I knew she was struggling… why didn't she tell me how much."

She heard a key in the lock of her door. She sat on the bed.

"See Emma," the doctor said, "I told you it was locked. Sorry Regina."

"What's happening?" Regina asked.

"The pills should be starting to kick in soon," he said, "then everything will become clear."

"I hope so," Regina said, "because my head is all of a mess right now…"

"Just give it time," he said, "we'll leave you to it…"

He turned his back on Regina and left the room, but Emma stood there, never taking her eyes off her. Regina quickly formed a fireball in her hand, closing her hand around it as the doctor turned back.

"Emma," he said, "are you coming? You have a therapy session in 10 minutes."

"Er… yeah," Emma said, "I'll go now…"

Emma walked out, keeping her eyes on Regina until the doctor closed the door again.

"I wonder…" Regina said to herself, "if I can't get her to look in her heart… maybe I can get her to look at…"

She thought about it. Emma would probably hate her for it, but it might just shock her into believing what Regina was saying. Then she heard her mother's voice in her head

_You cannot remove the heart of someone whom you have strong feelings of love for. Anger is needed to break through the emotional barriers. You can't take her heart out you stupid girl, if I couldn't do it, you won't be able to._

"I'm more powerful than you were mother…" Regina said.

x-x-x-x

Regina was allowed out of her room that evening, to go down and get dinner. There were a lot of faces familiar to her, but some not. This told her that whoever created this had used Emma's memories to do it, not hers. They got Emma to bring her here, so they would be together, but they were usually together anyway at the castle.

"The castle," Regina said, "where Henry is… Emma!"

Emma turned around in her seat and looked over at Regina.

"He's in trouble Emma." Regina said, "We need to save him…"

"I couldn't save him the first time…" Emma said, turning back around and eating her food.

Regina got out of her seat and went over to where Emma was sitting. Greg and Tamara were keeping a very close eye on her.

"Emma, please," Regina said, "Henry needs us, think about it, they got you here…"

"Regina, you're talking rubbish…" Emma said.

"Hear me out," Regina said, "you owe me at least that…"

"I owe you?" Emma said, "If it wasn't for me you'd still be there… stop talking shit and go and eat your food. Think its apple pie for desert."

"I'm talking shit?" Regina said, trying to get Emma angry, "you've talked nothing but shit since you got me here."

"Once the pills kick in…" Emma said.

"What if the pills are stopping you from remembering everything Emma?" Regina said.

"I remember everything perfectly fine, thank you." Emma said, "Though I wish I didn't…"

"The first night we met," Regina said, "I offered you a drink, what was it?"

"Stop it Regina." Emma said.

"What was the drink Emma?" Regina said.

"I don't fucking know what the drink was," Emma said, standing up, "get the fuck out of my face and take you're stupid pointless questions with you."

"Anger," Regina said, as she saw Greg and Tamara heading her way, "you don't feel anger about something that doesn't matter Emma, something that's not real. You can't get angry for forgetting a memory that isn't even real, right…"

Greg grabbed Regina around the waist.

"They have Henry Emma. That's why they got you to bring me here, so we couldn't protect him…" Regina shouted, as he carried her away, "your son needs you, you have to remember, and you have to save him…"

Emma hadn't looked up from the table she was staring at.

"Someone obviously needs more meds," said the nurse that looked like Snow.

"Maybe they won't work on her…" Emma said.

"They work on everyone dear." She said.

"How's Alice?" Emma asked.

"Who's Alice?" she asked in reply.

"Little blonde thing that was here…" Emma said.

"We haven't had anyone called Alice in here," she said, "not for as long as I've worked here."

"Sure there was," Emma said, "she kept talking about white rabbits and talking cat heads or something…"

"I think I'd remember that." She replied.

"Maybe she found her rabbit hole…" Emma said, quietly, to herself.

"What was that?" the nurse asked.

"Oh nothing," Emma said, "mumbling to myself."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six.

Emma was sitting on her bed, looking at the pills in her hand. The nurse had given her them 10 minutes before, they made sure they gave her them every 4 hours, bang on the hour mark, this had been the first time she could remember where they trusted her to take them on her own. Emma got a sudden flash of colour in her head.

_"Erm… can I help you?" she said to the little kid standing on her doorstep._

_"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked._

_"Yeah," she replied, "who are you?"_

_"My name is Henry," he said, "I'm your son."_

_Henry then walked straight under Emma's arm and into her apartment._

_"Whoa, hey kid, kid, kid," Henry kept walking towards Emma's small kitchen, "I don't have a son."_

_Still nothing from Henry._

_"Where are your parents?" Emma asked._

_"Ten years ago," Henry said, "did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."_

_"Gimmie a minute…" Emma replied, going into her bathroom and having a mini panic attack._

Something within Emma started to ache. She looked down at the pills again. More flashes.

_"You're Henry's birth-mother?" Regina asked._

_"Hi…" Emma replied._

_"I'll just go and check on the lad," Graham said, "make sure he's okay."_

_Graham walked off inside, leaving her and Regina outside, in awkward silence. Regina smiled._

_"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" Regina asked._

_"Got anything stronger." Emma replied._

"That's it," Emma said, "that was the drink…"

She stood up and left her room. The nurse was in the hallway, still making her rounds.

"Emma," she said, "did you take your pills?"

"Give me one minute…" Emma said, "Something I need to do…"

She walked past the nurse and went to Regina's room, the door was unlocked. Opening the door she saw Regina lying on the bed, she was awake; she looked like she has been crying.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted…" Emma said.

Regina sat up and looked at her.

"That's what you said… the first night we met," Emma replied, "apple cider, that was the drink you offered… but whiskey is what we had…"

Emma nodded to herself a little and then looked at Regina.

"Sleep well Regina…" she said.

With that she turned and left. She went back to her room, and took her pills.

x-x-x-x

Later that night, when she was sure the hallways were empty; Regina made her way to Emma's room.

"Emma," Regina said, walking over to the bed, "Emma wake up."

Emma yawned, stretched and looked at Regina. Regina couldn't help but smile; it was probably the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

"Regina..." Emma said, "What time is it?"

"About 4am I think…" Regina said.

Emma groaned.

"I'm tired, I want to sleep…" Emma said.

"I know you're not a morning person," Regina said, "but we need to get out of here and back to Henry."

Emma sighed and turned over, her back now facing Regina.

"You took the pills didn't you…?" Regina said.

"You should try it," Emma said, "makes everything so much easier."

"No, Emma," Regina said, "Because I don't want to forget…"

"How are they not affecting you?" Emma asked, "How are they not making you get better?"

"You think this is better Emma?" Regina said, "They aren't affecting me because when they force me to take them, I use magic to block them out."

"Magic doesn't exist in this world," Emma said, "magic isn't real…"

"Emma…" Regina said, dropping to her knees next to Emma's bed, "listen to me… in fact don't listen to me, I'll show you…"

Regina took Emma's hand. Emma got a flash of colour in her mind.

_"Where's my son?" Regina asked running into the hospital room._

_"You did this…" Emma said, as she turned around._

_She grabbed Regina's arm and dragged her to a storage cupboard. Opening the door she pushed her in, sending Regina flying into a metal stack of shelves._

_"You did this!" Emma yelled at her._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Regina asked, as Emma grabbed her arms and slammed her into the lockers, "stop this, my son…"_

_"This is because of you," Emma said, "That apple turnover you gave me, he ate it."_

_"What?" Regina asked, "it was meant for you."_

_"It's true isn't it?" Emma asked._

_"What are you talking about?" Regina asked._

_"It's true isn't it?" Emma repeated, "all of it…"_

_Regina banged her head against the lockers before nodding._

_"Yes…" she said._

Suddenly the images stopped, Emma opened her eyes and looked at Regina.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"A shared memory Emma," Regina said, "it's all true Emma, you have to remember…"

"No…" Emma said, "all that stuff… never happened…"

"It happened Emma," Regina said, "what do I have to do to prove to you it happened…"

"It can't have happened," Emma said, "don't you see it makes no sense."

"And being trapped in this hell hole does?" Regina asked, "I'd hoped there'd be another way… any other way… I'm sorry Emma…"

Regina put her hand over Emma's chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Proving it to you…" Regina said.

She forced her hand into Emma's chest. As Emma didn't believe in magic, or the Enchanted Forest, Regina came up against no magical resistance.

Emma looked down that the hand in her chest, and then up at Regina, the fear in her eyes was breaking Regina's resolve. Regina closed her eyes, and pulled her hand out of Emma's chest. Bringing Emma's heart with it.

Emma cried out in pain.

"What the fuck did you just do?" Emma said, "You're fucking crazy…"

"I'm crazy…" Regina said, "I have your heart in my hand, something that shouldn't be possible if magic doesn't exist, and I'm the crazy one?

"What… no... that… no that can't…" Emma said.

Regina put Emma's heart into Emma's hand.

"You see that," Regina said, "can you feel it beating… Emma… please…"

Emma looked down at the heart in her hands, and passed out.

"Well that went well…" Regina said to herself.

She took the heart back from Emma's hand.

"All I wanted to do was make you see," Regina said, "and look what I've become…"

She looked at the heart in her hands, closed her eyes, and put it back in Emma's chest.

Her hand was forced out, once the heart was back where it belongs, and Regina went flying backwards across the room.

Emma's eyes shot open as Regina stood up.

"Left or right Regina…" Emma asked.

"Left," Regina replied, "it's always left…"

"And why is it always left?" Emma asked.

"Because that's the only way you could go to get to the centre of the maze when you were a child…" Regina said.

_"There was this maze, when I was a kid," Emma said to Regina as they sat on the ship, "and it was like something out of a fairy tale… there was a castle in the centre of it... and I used to go there and pretend I was this princess…"_

_"So in a way you always knew…" Regina replied kissing her on the head._

_"Funny thing was you could only get to the centre of it by going left…" Emma replied._

"Let's get the hell out of here…" Emma said, walking over to her.

"You remember?" Regina asked.

"Parts of it…" Emma said, putting her hand on her head, "ouch my head…"

Emma put her other hand against the wall, to stop herself falling.

"Emma?" Regina asked, "what is it?"

"Just went all light-headed for a minute…" Emma said, "I'll be fine…"

"We need to get moving," Regina said, "we have to figure out how to get the hell out of this place."

"Just need a minute…" Emma said.

"We don't have…" Regina started to say.

The door opened.

"Well isn't this just a heart-warming scene," Tamara said, "The hero finally remembers…"

"You…" Emma said, "you took my son… you destroyed his life, killed his father… made me think that it all never happened… you have no heart…"

Emma used all the strength she could find and forced her hand inside Tamara's chest. Emma closed her eyes. She could visualise her hand inside her chest. She saw her hand close around Tamara's heart, and she pulled.

"You think Neal is dead…?" Tamara said, as Emma stood there with her heart in her hands.

"I watched him fall through that portal you created, he was shot…" Emma said, turning the heart around in her hand, "if the fall didn't kill him, the wound would have done…"

"He isn't dead," Tamara said, "how could I kill the man I loved…"

Emma started to squeeze the heart.

"You wouldn't know the meaning of the word love even if it jumped up and slapped you in the face…" Emma said.

"You can kill me…" Tamara said, struggling to breathe, "but you can never escape, you can never win…"

Tamara collapsed to the floor; Emma opened her hand as the ashes fell to the floor.

"I hate it when people tell me what I can and can't do…" Emma said, walking over to the body, "and I'm the Saviour you bitch, I always win…"

"Emma…" Regina said.

"I know what I'm doing," Emma said, "this place doesn't really exist…"

"I thought…" Regina said.

"No," Emma said, "this place, where we are now… it doesn't exist, it's not real… I was just forced into believing it was… I bet my soul on us finding the person doing this, and Tamara will still be there…"

"You hope…" Regina said, "Taking a life… however insignificant that life may appear to be… it changes you Emma…"

"She'll be there…" Emma said.

Emma and Regina went out into the hallway.

"How do we get out of here…?" Regina asked.

"Left…" Emma said, "it's always left…"

They went to the end of the hallway; Emma looked left, then right. The nurse who looked like Snow was in front of the door at the end of the hallway to the right with Greg, Jefferson was to the left.

"Left?" Regina asked.

"Always…" Emma replied, "thank you…"

"For what?" Regina said.

"Making me remember…" Emma said, "And… for loving me, in spite of my imperfections…"

"Your imperfections make you who you are Emma," Regina said, "you wouldn't be the woman I love without them…"

Emma kissed her.

"You're letting her lead you down the wrong path Emma." Dr Jefferson said.

"Is that right?" Emma asked, "Well I have to say, if it is the wrong path, it's sure as hell a lot more enjoyable than this place…"

She started to walk towards him; Regina was facing the nurse and Greg.

"Move…" Emma said, "We want to go through that door…"

"Emma…" Regina said.

Emma turned around and saw that the nurse and Greg were slowly walking towards them.

"I love you…" she said to Regina.

"I love you too." Regina replied.

Emma turned back to face the good doctor, and Regina faced Greg and the nurse. Emma took one of Regina's hands; she raised the other, palm first, towards the doctor. Regina mirrored Emma's actions.

"Now!" Emma shouted.

As the magic left their hands the hallway that surrounded them exploded in a bright white light.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven.

Emma could smell smoke, opening her eyes and looking around her she couldn't believe the sight that met her. The castle had been attacked.

"Regina…" Emma said, shaking the woman next to her, "Regina wake up…"

Regina opened her eyes.

"Are we home?" she asked.

"I think so…" Emma said, "But something has happened here."

Regina looked around the room. There was fire damage everywhere.

"What the hell happened here…?" Emma said, standing up, "we need to find the others…"

She helped Regina stand up and together they went in search of the others. They found Snow, leaning up against a wall in the hallway, looking not to good. Emma ran over to her.

"You're back…" Snow said to Emma, trying to smile.

"What happened here?" Emma asked.

"They took Henry…" Snow said, "Greg and Tamara, they took Henry… we tried to stop them… Emma I am so sorry…"

"Where did they take him?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," Snow said, coughing, "they weren't alone… there were others… oh god… What's happened to everyone else?"

"I'm going to find out," Emma said, kissing her forehead, "Regina, can you…"

"Go and find the others," Regina said, "I'll make sure she's okay…"

Emma ran down the hallway, checking rooms as she went.

"It's at times like this," she said to herself, checking another room, "that the small apartment back in Storybrooke would be cool…"

She got to the dining room, she saw Charming trapped under the overturned table.

"Dad…" she said, running over to him, using magic to move the table, she crouched down next to him.

"You came back…" he said, looking up at her.

"What can I say," Emma said, "just couldn't stay away… Are you okay?"

"Yes." He said, trying to sit up, "maybe not…"

She used magic to heal him.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much," he replied, sitting up, "Where's Snow?"

"She's upstairs," Emma said, "Regina is helping her."

"Gold?" Charming asked.

"No idea," Emma said, "you're the only people I've found so far…"

"Red and Hook…" he said.

"What about them?" Emma asked.

"They were here; Red could smell the smoke so they came to see what was going on," he said, "They chased Greg, Tamara and the others…"

Emma heard some coughing in the corner behind her, she turned and saw someone struggling under the cabinet. Walking over towards it, she used magic to lift it off whoever was underneath. She looked at Charming, then back to the unknown person. They stood up and tried to get away.

"Oh no you don't." Emma said, using magic to freeze them to the spot.

She walked over to the now frozen guy.

"You know this guy?" she asked Charming.

"He was with Greg and Tamara." He replied.

"Brilliant." Emma said.

She waved her hand in front of his head, allowing him to answer her questions.

"Where did your friends take my son?" she asked.

"You'll never get him back," the guy said, "you can't beat him now."

"Now?" Emma asked, "Meaning I've done it before?"

"I won't answer any more of your questions…" he said.

"Oh I think you will." Emma replied.

She looked down at the floor, making a ring of fire appear around the guy.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You answer my questions, those flames don't get bigger," Emma said, with a little laugh, "you lie to me, they will get bigger and bigger…"

"Emma," Charming said, "what are you doing…?"

She looked at him.

"He knows where my son is…" Emma replied, "I need to find him… this whole thing is my fault. It's my fault they could come here and take him… It's my fault Regina wasn't here to protect him… It's my fault he probably thinks I don't love him… If you were me what would you do?"

"There are quicker ways to get answers…" Charming said, walking over to the guy with his sword drawn, "she won't kill you, but I will. So answer the questions."

"Where did your friends take my son?" Emma asked again.

"I'm not telling you." He replied.

Emma looked down and the flames got bigger, coming closer to his feet and legs.

"I'd say another wrong answer will mean your cloak catches fire…" Emma said.

"What are you doing?" Snow asked, walking into the room with Regina.

"He's just a child…" Regina said.

"I'm 15." He said.

"Old enough to know right from wrong…" Emma said.

"You work for him don't you?" Regina said to the boy.

"Yes, and you can't beat him, either of you." He said.

"I'm bored of this…" Emma said.

She put her hand on the young boys head; closing her eyes she used magic to get the answers to her questions.

"Neverland," Emma said, "they've taken him back to Neverland…"

Emma stepped away from him. She stopped the flames.

"Lock him up…" Emma said, "he might be of some use…"

"Emma…" Regina said.

"You're not talking me into letting him go Regina," Emma said, "I've just seen into his mind, he is not staying here… We're taking him with us."

"We can use magic to restrain him," Regina said, "There's no need to lock him up."

"I've seen what he's done," Emma said, "how many children he has forced to scream… lock him up or I kill him…"

"What's got into you Emma?" Snow asked, "he is just a child."

"Look at his face and tell me he's just a child…" Emma said.

The boy had an evil smile on his face.

"He just hasn't had parents love…" Snow said.

"Neither did I," Emma said, "I wouldn't dream of doing what's in his head…"

"Emma, that wasn't our choice, it was…" Snow started.

"That actually wasn't my fault," Regina said, "Mr Gold was the one who added that in… That's why he wanted you to tell him her name the night you went to see him…"

"I don't care whose fault it was," Emma said, "I just want to make sure my son doesn't go through the same thing."

"He has something different in mind for the boy…" The boy said.

"What?" Emma asked.

"He doesn't want the boy to become a lost one," the boy said, "he has bigger things planned."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

"You'll just have to wait and find out," he said, "but you'll need a faster way than that pirate ship to get there before it happens."

"How long?" Emma asked.

He didn't say anything.

"How long?" Emma asked, starting to get angry.

"You may want to tell her before she burns you from the inside out…" Regina said.

"Two days…" he said.

"How long on Hooks ship?" Emma asked Regina.

"A week, at least," Regina said, "but we can't use it anyway…"

"Damn," Emma said, "it won't sale under anyone else… Fuck…"

"There is another way…" Mr Gold said, dragging himself into the room on the floor.

Emma ran over to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I've been better," he said, "any chance you could…"

He motioned down to his legs, they were pretty bloody. Emma healed them for him.

"Thank you." He said.

"What's this other way?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said, "it'll kill her…"

"What will kill who?" Emma asked.

"What he's talking about," Regina said, "it'll kill you…"

"I don't think it will," Gold said, "she's a lot more powerful than any of us give her credit for."

"But she doesn't know how to control it," Regina said, "That amount of power when someone doesn't know how to control it is a very dangerous thing."

"I say give her a chance," Mr Gold said, "what have we got to lose?"

"You, nothing," Regina said, "me, everything…"

"Am I not standing right here?" Emma shouted, "I wish people would stop talking about me like I'm not here."

Neither Regina nor Gold said anything.

"You," She said to Regina, "stop being so overprotective, I'm pretty sure I can deal with it."

Regina sighed.

"And you," she said to Gold, "tell me what you're talking about."

"One way I can think of to get us all to Neverland, quicker than on that ship," he said, "transport the entire castle…"

"It'll kill…" Regina started.

"Shut up." Emma said to Regina.

"Emma," Snow said, "with all due respect…"

Emma looked at her.

"Never mind…" Snow said.

"Do you think I can do it?" she asked Gold.

"Yes," he said, "I do."

She looked at Regina.

"You obviously don't…" she said, and then she turned to her parents, "what about you two?"

"It's a big ask…" Snow said.

"I believe in you Emma." Charming said.

Emma smiled a little.

"If I fail?" Emma asked.

"You die…" Regina said.

"That's one outcome," Mr Gold said, "another being that you get us close… drop us in the ocean, or this entire place blows to pieces."

"No pressure then…" Emma said.

"How about transporting us without the castle." Snow said.

"I can't get that far." Regina said, "not without risk."

"I still don't have that power back yet." Gold said.

Emma picked up one of the chairs that was upside down; she turned it the right way, and then sat on it.

"Can Emma transport us two at a time?" Snow asked.

"Not without huge risk…" Regina said.

"I don't know if I can even do that…" Emma said.

"Well we know you can transport yourself," Snow said, "We all remember that time you ended up in Regina's castle…"

"I don't." Regina said.

"Just after they bound your powers," Emma said, "I got really angry… it was an accident, I don't even know how I did it. I just wanted to be anywhere but here…"

"So it's still standing?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Emma replied, "and it's not in bad shape either… we could move there once this is over…"

"Emma," Snow said, "that isn't how it works…"

"I am so sick of people telling me how things work…" Emma said, "This is your world, you were born here…"

"As were you…" Snow said.

"You were raised here," Emma continued, "you know all the people, the places, the risks… I was raised in another world, where you could go for a walk to the shop without having someone try to destroy your life… we didn't have to worry about magic and spells and everything else… I'm still trying to figure this place out… work out who I am here, without all the pressure and expectations… You ever wonder why it was so easy for me to believe that this world isn't real, and none of you exist… Because I'm struggling to deal with it all, Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, everyone expects me to be perfect… maybe I don't belong here…"

"Henry's adapted pretty well," Snow said, "maybe you just need more time."

"Henry is 10…" Emma said, "And he's happy because his family are all together… I never had family… I never had people around me who wanted to be there… I never had friends, not real ones… I was me, on my own and I was fine with that… I've being trying to change… to let people in… but the walls are pretty high…"

"Emma, why didn't you tell any of us you felt like this?" Charming asked.

"Because you were all so happy to be home," Emma said, "in your perfect world, with your perfect love, and your perfect family…"

As Emma said the word family everyone felt the entire castle tremble.

"What the…" Regina said.

"Emma…" Snow said.

Emma had her eyes closed, a few seconds later the castle trembled again.

"What is she doing?" Charming asked Gold.

"What you thought she couldn't…" he said.

A few moments later there was another shudder and Emma opened her eyes.

"We should be close enough to get there without much trouble," she said, standing up, "yet far enough away to not be noticed…"

"You actually did it." Regina said, looking out of the window.

"Now everyone, leave me alone…" Emma said walking out of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

_Short chapter which has been running round my head had to get it out :)_

Chapter Eight

"When I said everybody leave me alone," Emma said, as she felt Regina approach her, "I meant _everybody_…"

"I just wanted to say…" Regina said, "Don't you think you're taking your magic a little far…"

"You couldn't do this," Emma said, "Gold couldn't do this, and we had two days to find Henry, what choice did I have?"

"And forcefully taking memories from a child?" Regina asked.

"Don't you even start preaching at me, when did you turn so fucking righteous…?" Emma said, "You stuck your fucking hand in my chest and pulled out my heart, or have you forgotten that?"

"Emma, I…" Regina started.

"You were doing it for my own benefit, blah, blah whatever." Emma said, "You still did it."

"As did you…" Regina said.

"You're talking about Tamara," Emma said, "who was at the time I pulled her heart out actually here kidnapping Henry, I knew it wasn't really her, I told you… When are you going to start trusting me?"

"That's a bit of an odd question coming from you isn't it," Regina said, "I mean you were obviously struggling with being here, yet you kept it from me."

"I'm struggling with a lot, Regina," Emma said, "being here is just one on a list of many…"

"So talk to me." Regina said, "That's what people do in relationships Emma, they talk…"

"Well all this relationship stuff is pretty new to me," Emma said, "other than Neal I've never done relationships…"

"Did you love him?" Regina asked.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Emma asked.

"A serious one." Regina replied.

"Honestly," Emma said, "I thought I did… right up until he fell through that portal, I thought I did… then all this stuff happens with you and I realise I obviously didn't…"

"You may have done…" Regina said.

"So all this stuff about one true love?" Emma asked.

"May not be as crystal clear as it appears to be," Regina said, "I mean, I know I loved Daniel, I really did… then you come along…"

"So it's a crock of shit." Emma said, "all of it."

"What is going on with you Emma?" Regina said.

"If I knew I'd tell you…" Emma said, "None of this seems right… Storybrooke I could deal with, pre-breaking the curse… since then I've learnt that my parents are fairy tale characters, the woman I love is the Evil Queen… was the Evil Queen… I've gone from having no family, no one who cares about me, no one I really care about… to having parents, a kid, a relationship… most people move houses, towns, cities… we moved realms, changed worlds… that's a lot for me to take in, and process…"

"Maybe you need to talk to…" Regina started.

"I do not need to go and talk to a cricket about what's going on in my head…" Emma said.

"You want to go back?" Regina asked.

"To Storybrooke… No." Emma said.

"To that world?" Regina asked.

"It's the only world I know Regina," Emma said, "I grew up there, all my memories are from there…"

"And what happy memories they are…" Regina said.

"Hey," she said, "some of them are…"

"Tallahassee?" Regina asked.

"It could have been…" Emma said, "if things had worked out differently…"

"In what way?" Regina asked.

"Well… if it hadn't of been for August, Neal would never have left me to get arrested," Emma said, "I'd never gone to jail, we would have gone to Tallahassee and I'd have had Henry…"

"And we'd have never met…" Regina said.

Emma didn't say anything.

"Is that what you want?" Regina asked.

"Regina, I don't know what I want anymore," Emma said, "I don't know what I'm allowed to want… I keep getting told that things just can't happen… if I had everything my way, I could get what I wanted… there are two things in this world that make sense to me… Henry and you… But I just can't help myself, fucking it all up… that's what I do, that's what I'm good at… that and running away."

"Emma you can't run here…" Regina said.

"You just proved my point…" Emma said, "Something else I can't do… don't you ever just want to take Henry, and go, just the three of us?"

"Sometimes," Regina said, "then I remember where we are… and I remember who your parents are here, and I remember we can't. It wouldn't matter where we went, they'd follow. They lost you for 28 years Emma, and that was hard for them… Their happy ending had to involve giving up their child; the only way that any happy endings could happen was by giving you up…"

"They didn't just give me up though did they," Emma said, "they put me in a wardrobe, sending me across worlds…"

"So one day, you would find us." Snow said, walking up behind them.

"Really not a good time." Emma said.

"It never is with you." Snow said.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked.

"This is your life Emma, the life you should have always had," Snow said, "deal with it. Accept it, and move on. This is all there is, you can't get back to the other world, would you even want to knowing what you do?"

"You have no idea what I want…" Emma said.

"So tell me." Snow said.

"Okay…" Emma said, "But I can guarantee you won't like it…"

Snow didn't say anything.

"I don't want to be here," Emma said, "this is your home, it isn't mine… this castle, the customs, it's so alien to me… none of it makes sense. We have people apparently working for us, who can't even make eye contact, because that's just not the way it's done… I can't walk to the Inn without people whispering, without someone saying something… I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming… a woman who talks to birds and man who slays dragons… I need space… I need my own space… when you first asked if I wanted to use your spare room back in Storybrooke, I said to you that I do better alone… that still stands…"

"There's nothing…" Snow started to say.

"Nothing you can do about it," Emma said, "I know…"

"Maybe there is…" Charming said.

"What do you people not understand about leave me alone…?" Emma said.

"There may be a way where you can get your space…" Charming said, "And you can get what you want…"

"How?" Emma asked.

"Well we know Regina's castle is still standing," he said, "and it's not too far away…"

"But…" Snow started.

"I know how this works," he said, "I know here princesses live with their parents until they die… but Emma's different. She wasn't raised here, she didn't know of us or her birth right until she was 28 years old. She's used to being independent, living her life her way, maybe we could do this for her. There isn't anything saying this is the way it has to be."

"It's the way it's always been." Snow said.

"So maybe it's time to change it up a bit," he said, "we lived in her world for 28 years, though we didn't know it was that long at the time. Maybe we could bring about a few changes, if it'd make her happy then it'd be worth it."

"Do you want to live with Regina?" Snow asked.

"I don't know," Emma replied, "I'd like the option…"

"Okay," Snow said, "once we get Henry back and get back to the Enchanted Forest, we'll talk about it…"

"Can I have my space now…" Emma said.

They all started to walk away.

"Regina…" Emma said.

Regina turned around and looked at her.

"Stay…" Emma said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

As Regina watched Emma sleep she couldn't control the nervous feeling in her stomach. She was worried, worried about Emma, worried about the battle that was to come. Knowing how hard it had been to defeat one Dark One, she had no idea if she or the sleeping blonde next to her had it in them to do it again. One thing she did know, at the end of everything they would save their son, or die trying.

Regina had put a lot of thought into every possible outcome in the few hours that Emma had been asleep. Love was somewhat of an alien concept to her, her father had loved her, and she had used that to her advantage. Her mother, in the end, loved her, it took killing her for her to realise. It seemed to Regina that everyone who loved had ever loved her in her life had either died, left, or ripped their own heart out so they wouldn't have to feel it. Love was the most powerful of any magic, but as far as Regina was concerned it was also the most painful and dangerous thing she could think of.

Her son, Emma, her family. Family. The one thing that she had always wanted was some kind of normal family. There was no way their family would ever be normal. Emma had hit the nail on the head when she talked about the age difference. It was complicated. Regina was still Snow's Step-Mother, though neither of them would care to admit it. She was Henry's mother, and also his Step-great-grandmother. Whoever thought fairy tales were simple had obviously never read this one. As no time had passed since she set the curse until the day Emma drove that yellow bug into her life Regina was still 34. But the memories and everything else from the time passed still remained.

She loved Emma; there was never a doubt in her mind, or her heart, about that. This girl had come into her life in a haze of ticking clocks, abandoned mines, and dragons. She had made Regina see that not everything in her life was there to hurt her. It took a long time for Regina to really admit how she felt. It took them being in Neverland in the first place. It took her nearly losing everything.

Along time ago the only thing that mattered to Regina was power. Well that and making Snow White pay.

Regina had to laugh a little when she thought of that.

"All she ever wanted was to be happy…" Regina said to herself, "she wanted to be the person her mother raised her to be, and she wanted to be happy… and I wanted to destroy it, and her… weird how it's her daughter that makes me realise just what it feels like to be happy…"

"We find happiness in the strangest and most unexpected places…" Snow said from the doorway.

Regina looked at her.

"The door was open…" Snow said.

"Thought I closed it." Regina replied.

"Obviously not," Snow said, walking into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, "can't sleep either?"

"No," Regina said, "my mind is running away with itself tonight…"

"Hot coco might help." Snow said.

"Sounds like a plan." Regina replied.

She moved from the bed quietly, so she didn't wake Emma.

"This is probably the first restful night's sleep she's had in a while…" Snow said, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Regina replied as they left the room, "I really don't know."

x-x-x-x

Emma awoke to an empty bed, the light in the room coming from candles.

"I miss electricity…" Emma said to herself, getting out of bed.

She headed downstairs, she was hungry, she'd hardly eaten anything in days. Making her way to the dining room she heard Snow and Regina talking.

"I don't know if she can put herself through it again…" Snow said.

"She's a lot stronger than you're giving her credit for." Regina replied.

"Am I the only one who remembers that she cracked," Snow said, "she thought it would be easier living in the mental hospital in her head than it would be living here."

"That's not strictly true," Regina said, "she so readily accepted it because understanding everything that has gone on in the last 8 months or so is hard. Think about it, none of you believed Henry when he said what was happening, you all thought he was crazy…"

"And you did nothing to stop us thinking he was crazy." Snow said.

"Because it was a lot easier for me if you didn't know…" Regina said.

"She's got a point Regina," Emma said walking into the room, "you let everyone believe Henry was insane, that he made all this up…"

"It was safer…" Regina said.

"Safer for whom?" Emma asked.

"Do we really have to do this now?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said, shaking her head a little, "I don't want to do it at all… I was heading to get some food actually…"

"The kitchen is closed, the cook isn't here." Snow said.

"I think I'm capable of getting myself some food," Emma said, "thanks…"

"Do you want me to cook you something?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said, "I want to be able to do something for myself for a change."

"Emma…" Regina said.

"I'm fine," Emma said, "really…"

Emma went down to the kitchen, taking one of the lamps with her. Standing in the middle of the huge kitchen she sighed to herself.

"And how the hell do I get this cooker thing working…" she said.

"With a little help…" Regina said, walking down the stairs.

"So much for doing something for myself…" she said.

"This is all new to you," Regina replied, using magic to start the wood burning cooker, "it is okay for you to ask for help sometimes you know, doesn't make you any less of a hero."

"I couldn't feel less like a hero right now if I tried," Emma said, sitting on one of the work benches, "I spend the best part of my adult life trying to find my parents… I find them, in very odd circumstances… then I decide they don't exist at all and that I'm nuts…"

"It's been a lot for you to deal with Emma," Regina said, "most people would have run screaming for the hills by now… what do you fancy to eat?"

"Pop tart…" Emma said with a little laugh, "ice cream… Hershey's chocolate…"

Regina didn't say anything.

"What I wouldn't give for a tub of Ben and Jerry's right now…" Emma said, tears building in her eyes.

"Rocky Road or Fudge Brownie?" Regina asked.

Emma just looked at her.

"You want ice cream," Regina said, waving her hand over the work bench where Emma was sitting, "then ice cream you shall have."

Emma laughed a little as two tubs of ice cream appeared next to her.

"You know that magic mirror…" Emma said, picking up the fudge brownie ice cream.

"What about it?" Regina asked, handing her a spoon and picking up the other tub of ice cream.

"Do you still have it?" Emma asked.

"Not here…" Regina said, "if it's still in one piece it'll be in my castle…"

"Can you get it here?" Emma asked, "using magic?"

"What do you want with it Emma?" Regina asked.

"I want to see my son." Emma said, tears falling from her eyes.

"Oh honey…" Regina said.

"We don't even have photographs here…" Emma said, "I miss him Regina…"

"I know," Regina replied, "so do I."

"We need to get him back…" Emma said, "Now…"

"It's not going to be that easy." Regina said.

There was a banging sound coming from upstairs. Emma and Regina took their ice cream and went to investigate. Snow was standing in the main hall, looking at the doors.

"Someone's out there…" she said.

"How is that even possible…?" Emma asked.

"I don't know…" Snow said.

Emma grabbed the sword that was leaning against the fire-place.

"I got this…" she said, handing her ice cream to Regina.

She walked over to the door, took a deep breath and then opened it.

"What kind of castle do you call this," said the guy at the door, "you don't even have a doorman?"

"Neal?" Emma asked.

"In the flesh." he said, flashing Emma a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"Freezing on the doorstep…" Neal said.

"Sorry," Emma said, "sorry, come in…"

She stepped aside and let him in.

"How did you get here?" Emma asked, closing the door.

"The portal that Tamara opened," he said, "it dropped me on the beach here…"

"We thought you were dead." Regina said.

"And I thought you'd be locked up by now." Neal replied.

"It's complicated…" Emma said, "how did you find us?"

"Well, I was picked up off the beach by these people…" Neal said, "and they took me to their castle, where I was held in this cell thing… I have no idea who they were… Then for some reason, they just let me go. I was trying to find a safe place, and then I see this place."

"Your father is upstairs." Snow said.

"You have him living with you?" Neal asked Emma.

"He's… he's changed." Emma replied.

"That man can never change," Neal said, "he proved that in Storybrooke… and here, he has all his powers back, that's never a good thing."

"He has no power…" Regina said, "at this very moment in time, he's powerless."

"How?" Neal asked.

"We stopped him," Emma said, "Regina and I, we… he's no longer the Dark One."

"Where's Henry?" Neal asked.

No one said anything.

"Emma, where's Henry?" he asked again.

"He… isn't here." Emma replied.

"He isn't here?" Neal asked, "then where the hell is he?"

"After you got shot, and fell through the portal," Emma said, "Henry was taken by Greg and Tamara…"

"They took him?" Neal asked, "they took him and you're here in Neverland?"

"We got him back…" Emma said, "they brought him here, so we followed, and got him back."

"Right, okay," Neal said, "and where is he now?"

"I don't know…" Emma said, "he got taken, again, and I could do nothing to stop it."

"They made Emma believe that all this wasn't real," Snow said, "that it was all in her head, and she was actually really in a mental hospital, with Regina…"

Neal looked confused.

"While they had her mind, and Regina's, they came back here," Snow said, "well to the castle when we were in the Enchanted Forest, and they took Henry, bringing him back here."

"How did you get this castle from the Enchanted Forest to here?" Neal asked.

"I did it…" Emma said, "I moved it…"

"You don't have that kind of power Emma." He said.

"A lot has changed, in the last few weeks…" Emma said.

"Yeah, I see that," he said, "the woman who made Henry's life hell, and your mom's life hell for that matter, is living here?"

"She's changed." Emma said.

"If you say so…" Neal said.

"Henry is her son too." Emma said.

"No Emma," Neal said, "he isn't, he's our son."

"No, he's not…" Emma replied, "you're not even on his birth certificate Neal… and I gave him up when he was days old…"

"You had no choice," Neal said, "but we're now, we're both here now."

"Regina is his mom…" Emma said, "and there's nothing you can say that will change that."

"Emma, this woman stopped you seeing your son for so long," Neal said, "and now you're what? Defending her? Friends with her?"

"In love with her…" Emma said.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"You're…" Neal said.

"Yeah…" Emma replied.

"So all that stuff you said…" he said.

"You'd been shot, and were about to fall through a portal," Emma said, "I thought you were going to die, so I told you what I thought you needed to hear…"

"It seemed pretty sincere to me." Neal said.

Emma didn't say anything.

"I don't think now is the time or the place…" Regina started to say.

"And you can shut up," Neal said, "this isn't about you."

"Technically," Emma said, "it is…"

"I love you Emma." Neal said, "We have a child together, I know you feel the same way."

"I care about you Neal," Emma said, "You're Henry's father, but… I'm sorry…"

"Sorry huh?" he said, "You should have thought about that before you said you loved me."

He walked away, heading upstairs.

"Ouch…" Emma said.

"You told him you loved him?" Snow asked.

"I thought he was going to die…" Emma said, "What would you have done in my position? Oh I'm sorry, I thought I loved you once, but I don't, so now you're going to die, and realise that the person you love doesn't love you back?"

"It may have been kinder." Snow said.

"No," Emma said, "it wouldn't…"

"He really does love you, you know…" Regina said.

"And I love you…" Emma said to her.

"This is going to cause problems." Snow said.

"Just one more to add to Emma Swan's list of mistakes…" Emma said, "And believe me, it's a long list…"

"He was a mistake?" Snow asked.

"No, how can I ever say anything that resulted in Henry is a mistake…" Emma said, "Telling him I loved him that was a mistake."

"We'll deal with it later," Regina said, "you're going to have to talk to him."

"Funny," Emma said, "I thought I just did…"

"Emma, he's just had his heart broken." Snow said.

"And you think that was easy for me?" Emma said.

"No, of course not…" Snow started to say.

"Good, because it wasn't…" Emma said, "I do still care about him, but I can't do something that isn't right… 11 years ago it was right, but now… I don't love him…"

"So…" Neal said, walking back downstairs, "when are we going to get Henry?"

"We're not…" Emma said, "You're staying here."

"He's my son Emma." Neal said.

"I know, but what good to him would you be dead," Emma said, "he already thought he lost you once, you come with us, and he will lose you."

"I can take care of myself." Neal said.

"Don't try and play the big man Neal," Emma said, "this is going to be dangerous…"

"It'll be dangerous for you too." Neal said, "you're going to let him grow up without his mother?"

"That's not going to happen," Emma said, "I have magic now…"

"Magic always comes with a price." Neal said, "you should know that better than anyone."

"The thing that has him is the Dark One," Emma said, "we destroyed the blade, but it somehow ended up being put back together…"

"I always thought you'd be the next one," he said looking at Regina, "you're the only person I've ever met who has a soul as dark as my fathers."

"That's not fair." Emma said.

"This… whatever it is Emma, it's not going to end well," he said, "she poisons every person in her life… she tried to destroy your mother…"

"She's changed," Emma said, "she isn't the person you think she is."

"She's the Evil Queen," Neal said, "that'll never change."

"You're out of line," Emma said, "a lot has happened since Storybrooke, a lot that changed us all…"

"So tell me…" Neal said.

"We don't have time," Emma said, "Henry needs us."

"That's right he does need us," Neal said, "We're his parents Emma."

"Enough." Emma said.

She was getting very angry, and the entire castle shook when she said the word enough.

"You might want to leave it alone Neal." Charming said, walking into the room.

"I'm not giving up," Neal said, "I'm not letting go of the woman I love."

"I don't love you…" Emma said.

"You did once, you can again," Neal said, walking over to Emma, "don't do this Emma, you'll regret it…"

"I don't love you Neal," Emma said, backing away from him, "and… this is going to hurt, and I'm so sorry… but I never did."

Emma left the room, leaving everyone standing there, wondering what just happened.

"I told you to leave it alone." Charming said.

Regina started to follow Emma.

"Regina, I'll go…" Charming said.

Regina nodded and Charming followed Emma from the room.

"You hurt her…" Neal said.

"And you'll what?" Regina asked, "Hunt me down and kill me?"

"Something like that." Neal said.

"I don't know what you think love is," Regina said, "but running away, leaving a woman you profess to love to go to prison for something that you did… that's not love, that's being a coward…"

Regina went upstairs.

"I'm not having that woman raise my son." Neal said.

"I don't think you have any say in the matter, do you." Snow said.

"He's my son…" Neal said.

"He's also Emma and Regina's son," Snow said, "whatever you do, do not fight them over Henry, you will lose, as your father knows all too well."

"I can't just walk away." Neal said.

"You might have to," Snow said, "not from Henry, but from Emma…"

"You're okay with this?" Neal asked, "I would've thought you of all people wouldn't be cheering their corner."

"I wasn't at first," Snow said, "but she makes Emma happy… happier than I've ever seen her… and to me, that means everything."

x-x-x-x

Charming found Emma at the top of one of the towers; she was looking out of the window.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Emma said, "peachy…"

"I know how he feels Emma," he said, "your mom once told me that she didn't love me… and it was the hardest thing anyone had ever told me…"

"She told you that to save you," Emma said, "I told him that, because it's the truth… I shouldn't have told him I loved him in the first place, what was I thinking…"

"You thought he was going to die," he said, "that makes people say things they don't always mean."

"I didn't want to hurt him…" Emma said, "Once I did, a lot…"

"Sometimes we have no choice, sometimes we have to hurt people," Charming said, "it doesn't make it easy, we tend to hurt ourselves in the process, but… it happens, especially when it comes to matters of the heart."

"He'll get over it, right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," he said, "he'll get over it…"

"Regina didn't…" Emma said.

"That was different." Charming said, "very different… Daniel died."

"Can I ask you something?" Emma asked, turning to look at him.

"Anything." He said.

"Do you think it's possible for someone to find true love twice?" Emma asked, "I mean, if what Regina felt for Daniel was true love, then…"

"There's no question how she feels about you Emma," Charming said, "she loves you; the breaking of the second part of the curse proves that…"

"Does it…?" Emma said, "What am I doing…"

"It's normal to question things," he said, "especially love, but there's no doubt in my mind that she loves you…"

"There's no doubt in my mind either," Regina said, walking up behind David, "nor in my heart… you complete me Emma."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Everyone was sitting around the table in the meeting room, trying to work out what would be the best way to get Henry back. Emma was getting frustrated, she just wanted to go in there, all magic flying, and get her son back.

"If we go in there…" she said.

"Emma, your plan is flawed," Snow said, "going in there magic flying everywhere is only going to get you killed."

"You don't know that…" Emma said.

"It would never work." Neal said.

"I'd love to hear you come up with a better plan." Emma replied.

"If you stopped shouting me down all the time, whenever I suggest anything, then I might be able to." He said.

"If you came up with a good plan I wouldn't have to basically say it was shit now would I." Emma said.

"If you two could put your differences aside for two minutes…" Charming said.

Emma shot him a look.

"Regina," Snow said, "any ideas?"

"Magic is our best shot," Regina said, "it's all we have that can take out a shadow…"

"Told ya…" Emma said.

"But we need to go in there in a controlled manner," Regina said, "we need to plan what we're going to do."

"How about we do the same thing we did with Gold…" Emma said.

"Not possible," Regina said, "we're fighting something with no solid form."

The doors to the room opened and everyone turned to look as Tamara walked in surrounded by guards.

"She has something to say," one of the guards said, "we thought you'd like to hear it."

Emma stood up and walked over to them.

"Talk," she said, "and it'd better be good…"

"Or what?" Tamara said, "you'll kill me?"

"You bet." Emma replied.

"He wants to do a trade," Tamara said, "the boy for her."

Tamara pointed at Regina.

"No way." Emma said.

"It's the only way you'll get the kid back." Tamara said.

"Why Regina?" Charming asked.

"He has a use for her magic." Tamara said.

"He can find a use for mine…" Emma said.

"Emma no." Regina said.

Tamara laughed.

"How do you think he can find a use for your magic, when you can't even control it yourself." She said.

"That's the deal," Emma said, "take it or leave it…"

"Or we could just kill her and send her back in pieces…" Neal said.

"Tempting." Emma said.

"That won't get the boy back." Tamara said.

"No but it'd probably make me feel better." Emma replied.

"I'll take your offer back to him, and let you know within the hour." Tamara said.

"You do that." Emma said.

The guards escorted Tamara back to the main doors.

"You can't seriously be thinking about…" Regina said.

"Isn't that what the Saviour does?" Emma asked.

She walked out of the room, before anyone else could try and talk her out of it.

x-x-x-x

Emma was sitting on the edge of her bed, with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, when Mr Gold walked up to the open door.

"You'd give your own life for Henry's?" he asked, walking into the room.

"Isn't that what part of being a parent is…?" Emma said looking at him, "Being willing to give up your life for your child…"

"I'm probably not the best person to ask that question," he said, "haven't exactly been what you'd call a model parent."

"Neither of us has…" Emma replied.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked.

"Getting Henry back here is about as far as I've got in my plan…" Emma said.

"And if it costs you your life?" he asked.

"Then it's a price worth paying…" Emma replied.

x-x-x-x

"Where's Regina?" Snow asked, walking back into the meeting room.

"Isn't she with you?" Charming asked.

"Obviously not." Snow replied.

"She's probably in her room or something." Neal said.

The three of them went up to Regina's room. There, sitting on her desk, they found a folded piece of paper with the word Emma written in Regina's handwriting on it.

"Oh no…" Snow said.

"You don't think she…" Charming replied.

"She's finally done the right thing." Neal said, picking up the piece of paper.

"That isn't for you." Snow said, taking it off him.

"We need to tell Emma…" Charming said.

They all walked down the hallway towards Emma's room, but found her standing at the open door of Henry's room.

"My mind is playing tricks on me again," she said, turning to Snow, "it's making me see him there sleeping in his bed…"

"He _is_ sleeping in his bed." Snow replied.

"How…?" Emma asked.

"Regina…" Snow said, handing Emma the letter.

Emma opened it.

_My Dearest Emma,_

_ I couldn't let you do this, he wanted me, and so I made that choice for you. Henry needs you, everyone needs you. I want to say thank you, for making me see what it's like to really love and be loved. You changed my life, you changed me as a person, and you made me the person I wanted to be. Look after our son._

_ Regina._

"Why would she…" Emma started to say, tears falling from her eyes.

"Because it was the right thing to do." Neal said.

"Who asked you?" Emma said, looking at him, "in fact who asked you anything."

She sent him flying down the hallway.

"That's really not helping anything Emma." Charming said.

"She basically just signed her own death certificate and he said it's the right thing to do," Emma said, "he's lucky he's still breathing…"

"Mom..." she heard Henry say.

"Yeah, Henry, I'm here…" she said, walking into his room.

"What happened?" he asked, "one minute I was…"

"Your mom," Emma said, "she traded herself for you…"

"And you let her?" he asked.

"I had no say in it kid…" Emma replied.

Henry put his arms around Emma and they both started to cry.

x-x-x-x

She knew she had to go to the castle; she had to at least try and get Regina out of there. She was angry, angry with Regina for taking the choice away from her.

Emma walked over to her closet; she took her sword from where it was hanging. Taking a deep breath she took it from its sheath, making sure it was sharp. She put it on her bed and took a look around the room. Even though they hadn't been in the castle that long the room already held so many happy memories for Emma. Times laughing and joking with Henry, memories of the two of them and Regina. One thing she had promised herself was that she would always do everything she could to make sure Henry had a happy childhood, that couldn't happen without Regina. She got changed, putting the body armour which had been made for her on, topping it off with a floor length black leather coat. Snow had something similar in white. Putting the sword around her waist, she did the coat up, before heading out of the room.

She went to Henry's room, quietly opening the door she saw Henry asleep cuddled up to Neal. At that moment she made a silent promise to her son that she would see him again before sunrise.

She got to the main doors of the castle before turning back. Looking around she had to laugh. She had no idea how she had expected her life to play out, but this certainly wasn't in any of her plans. She saw Snow and Charming walking down the main staircase.

"What are you two doing?" Emma asked.

"You really think we'd let you do this alone?" Charming asked.

"At least you dressed for the occasion." Snow said, with a small smile.

"Thought I'd better get some use out of it…" Emma replied, with a small smile of her own.

"Does Henry know you're going?" Snow asked.

"No, he's sleeping," Emma said, "he's been through enough already…"

"Let's go get this over with." Charming said, putting his arm around Emma's shoulders, placing a soft kiss on her temple.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"How are we going to get in there?" Snow asked, as the castle came into view.

"I was thinking about just knocking on the door." Emma said, "They are going to know we're coming anyway, so it's not like we have the element of surprise."

"She has a point." Charming said.

"Sure way to get ourselves killed though," Snow said, "there has to be some other way to get in."

"Magic maybe?" Charming asked, looking at Emma.

"I'll see what I can do," Emma said, "can't make any promises that you won't end up as millions of little pieces floating around though…"

"We trust you Emma." Snow said.

"Glad someone does." Emma replied.

Emma laughed to herself.

"What's so funny?" Snow asked.

"I can smell wet wolf…" Emma said.

"Red?" Snow asked.

"I don't know…" Emma replied, "Guess we'll soon find out, hold on."

Snow took one of Emma's hands, Charming took the other. Emma transported them into the castle. Landing them in a dark room when the scent of wolf was coming from. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness Emma could see two forms, one in each corner.

"Well you took your bloody time." A voice said.

"Hook?" Emma asked.

"In the flesh," he said, "aren't you  
a sight for sore eyes."

"Is that Red?" Emma asked, motioning to the other form.

"They are using magic to keep her in wolf form," he said, "I can't get through to her. Every time I try and talk to her, she growls and tries to jump at me."

"Need to get some light in here." Charming said.

Emma used magic to light one of the torches on the wall.

"You're getting good at that." Hook said.

Emma smiled at him. She heard a low growl coming from the wolf in the corner.

"Easy there puppy…" Emma said.

Red jumped at her, Emma had never been more thankful for an animal being chained up in her life. Emma stepped back as her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.

"What have they done to her?" Snow asked.

Emma crouched down in front of Red, making eye contact with the wolf.

"Emma…" Snow said.

"I made the mistake of not trusting her when she was in wolf form before," Emma said, not breaking eye contact, "I'm not making that mistake again…"

Everyone in the room was nervous and on edge, as minutes past with no movement from either Emma or Red.

"Are you wearing leather trousers under that coat?" Hook asked.

"Really not the time to be discussing fashion Hook…" Emma said.

Red growled again.

"Come on Red," Emma said, "work with me here…"

Red inched forwards towards Emma, Snow realised the length of chain was longer than the distance between Emma and Red.

"Emma…" Snow said.

"What?" Emma asked.

"There's more chain than distance." Snow said.

Charming pulled his sword out of the sheath.

"No." Emma said, "put that away."

"And if this doesn't work?" Charming asked.

"It will…" Emma said, "trust me."

He put his sword away and watched as Red, again, moved closer to Emma, who didn't even twitch.

The wolf continued to growl as it stood less than 30 centimetres from Emma.

Emma didn't even blink as she felt the wolfs hot breath on her face.

"I can't watch this…" Snow said.

The wolf got closer and closer to Emma, who was struggling to keep her heart rate under control. She had read somewhere once that if a dog sensed fear it was more likely to attack, she figured the same was true with wolves. As their noses nearly touched the wolf stopped. Emma looked into the yellow eyes in front of her.

"Please Red…" she said, quietly.

Suddenly the wolf lunged forwards. Emma flinched, expecting to feel a lot of pain. What she felt instead was a wet sensation on the side of her face. She laughed a little as she felt the wolfs head on her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Had me scared for a moment there puppy…" She said, as Red again licked her face, "You do need a breath mint though."

Emma stood up.

"Can you change her back?" Hook asked.

"No," Emma said, "Regina could…"

"Where is the Evil Bitch?" Hook asked.

"Here," Emma said, "somewhere… she traded herself for Henry…"

"She really has changed…" he said.

"Are you up for helping us?" Emma said.

"Just point the way." He said with a smile.

Emma used magic to get the chains off both Hook and Red, the latter then moved and sat at Emma's feet.

"Let's get out of here." Emma said, opening the door using magic.

x-x-x-x

"She's here…" Tamara said.

"Did we ever expect any less?" Greg asked.

"We nearly had her anyway," Tamara said, "she would have come here in exchange for the kid."

"Well now we'll have both of them," Greg replied, "and no one can stop the Dark Master."

"Are you sure she's still alive?" Tamara asked, looking over at an unconscious Regina.

"Yes," he said, "not that it'll matter for much longer."

x-x-x-x

"Wait…" Emma whispered to the others, just as they were about to round another corner.

She could hear voices.

"They have her in the room at the top of the tower." One voice said.

"What better place to execute a former Queen." The other said.

"Do you really think she was a Queen?" one said, "we've never heard of the land she's supposedly from."

"I think she must be," the other replied, "that guy who was here said she was, and he said she is the only one powerful enough to stop the Dark One."

"And we didn't even need him to lead us to her," the other said, "she came on her own."

"That asshole…" Emma muttered under her breath, beside her Red growled.

"What was that?" One of the boys said.

"I didn't hear anything." The other replied.

"I was sure I heard a growl." The first said.

"You're hearing things," the other said, "there's no way that wolf could have gotten out of there, she'd stop to eat the pirate first."

"Good point." The other replied with a laugh.

Red looked up at Emma and Emma nodded. Red rounded the corner and the next thing Emma heard were screams.

"Sorry boys," Emma said, as she walked around the corner, "you have something that belongs to me."

"Was that really necessary?" Snow asked, walking behind Emma.

"It was necessary." Hook replied.

"Which way is the tower?" Emma asked.

"You should have asked those boys that," Snow said, "before you had your new pet wolf rip their throats out."

"That way." Hook said, pointing to a door at the end of the hall.

"Am I the only one who sees what you just did as being wrong?" Snow asked.

"I might not know how to change Red back," Emma said, "but I do know a thing or two about making you be quiet."

"Sorry…" Snow said.

Emma opened the door; it led out into a great hall.

"Oh brilliant," she said, closing the door again, she looked at Hook, "and how do you propose we get across there without drawing a hell of a lot of attention to ourselves?"

"You only asked where the tower was," Hook said, "you never said anything about getting there."

"Invisibility spell?" Snow asked.

"What do you think this is?" Emma asked, "Harry Potter?"

"Regina can do it." Hook said.

"Well Regina isn't here…" Emma replied.

"We're going to have to take our chances…" Charming said.

"It looks pretty empty," Emma said, "if we're quiet…"

"Just because it looks empty, doesn't mean it is…" Hook said.

They heard shouting coming from the direction they had come from.

"Guess we're out of options…" Emma said.

She opened the door, Red went first.

x-x-x-x

"You two…" Regina said, opening her eyes and looking at Greg and Tamara.

"Who else," Greg said, "your Majesty."

Regina tried to get up.

"That's not going to work." Tamara said.

"What are you going to do with me?" Regina asked.

"It's not you we want." Greg said.

"Emma…" Regina said.

"Bingo," Tamara replied, "she is more powerful than you could ever dream of being; she just doesn't know it yet."

x-x-x-x

Emma picked up a piece of cloth that was on the floor, it was probably from one of the hooded cloaks the Lost Ones insisted on wearing. She wiped the blood off her sword and looked around the room. She counted 10 dead, some by sword, some by hook, and some by arrow but most by wolf. Emma clicked her neck.

"Looks like someone is getting used to this killing thing…" Hook said.

"I actually feel sick to my stomach," Emma said, "but it was either kill or be killed…"

"Best way to look at it," Charming said, "now let's get out of here before more turn up."

They headed through the door, Emma stopped.

"What is it?" Snow asked.

"I don't know…" Emma said, trying to move forward again, and failing. No one else seemed to be having any trouble.

"Magic?" Snow asked.

"I don't know." Emma replied, "It's like something is stopping me…"

"Something or someone?" Charming asked, "what does it feel like?"

"Warm…" Emma said, "Home…"

"Regina…" Hook said, "She must be up there."

"Why would she be stopping Emma?" Snow asked.

"To save her." Charming replied, "what if they weren't after Regina, what if it was Emma they wanted all along?"

"No, Tamara basically said he wouldn't want me because I couldn't control my magic…" Emma said.

"Just because you can't control it," Hook said, "doesn't mean he won't want it."

"You guys go and get Regina," Emma said, "Something tells me that you won't have any trouble…"

"Emma…" Snow said.

"Go," Emma said, "trust me…"

As the others headed up the stairs, Emma turned and walked back into the main hall.

"Guess it's just you and me then…" she said, as a shadow formed in front of her.

x-x-x-x

"We shouldn't have left her down there." Snow said, as they followed the staircase to the top.

"She'll be fine," Charming said, "she knows what she's doing."

"Do you want to try and sound a little more convincing when you say that?" Hook said.

"She'll be fine." Charming said.

"Better." Hook replied.

They reached the top of the stairs. Charming opened the door. Everyone was surprised to find the room empty, apart from Regina strapped down to a bed.

"Where's Emma?" Regina asked.

"It's nice to see you too." Hook said, going over to her and undoing the straps.

"Where is she?" Regina asked.

"Downstairs," Snow said, "she couldn't get past your spell."

"You left her downstairs alone?" Regina asked, "Are you crazy?"

"I wish, just once, you'd listen to me." Snow said to Charming.

x-x-x-x

"You really shouldn't have come here Emma…" Tamara said.

"You took something of mine," Emma replied, "I came to get it back."

"And now you'll never leave." Greg said.

"Maybe," Emma said, "but most people who tell me what I can and can't do usually realise they're wrong…"

"Gutsy to the end." Tamara said.

"What can I say," Emma said, "I'm stubborn."

"I'm failing to understand why you'd come here for her," Greg said, "if I remember rightly in Storybrooke you really didn't care that much for her."

"Things change." Emma replied.

"Oh haven't you heard," Tamara said, "they're in love now."

"Can we just get this over with," Emma said, "so I can kill you, and go home."

"If you insist." Greg said.

They each grabbed hold of one of Emma's arms, as the shadow got closer.

Emma lifted her left elbow, catching Greg square under the chin; she had to flinch at the sound of his head hitting solid stone. She managed to get away from Tamara and got two hands on her sword. She pointed it in Tamara's direction.

"You haven't got it in you to kill me Emma." Tamara said, "You're not an evil person."

"Try me," Emma said, "maybe killing you will stick this time."

Tamara started to walk backwards, heading towards the shadow. Emma lifted her hands and the sword above her head.

"I would say it's been nice knowing you," Emma said, "but my parents tell me it's bad to lie."

Emma brought her hands down, throwing the sword in Tamara's direction.

She was thrown backwards across the room, just missing the wall behind her. She dragged herself up wincing in pain.

"I was hoping you were going to fight back…" Emma said to the shadow.

She lifted her hands and the castle shook as magic flew from her hands into the shadow. After a few moments Emma felt the magic start to drain from her, she needed to focus. She closed her eyes.

x-x-x-x

Regina put her hand against the wall to stop herself falling as the castle started to shake.

"What's going on?" Hook asked.

"This whole place is going to come down." Regina said, "She's giving him what he wants."

"And what's that?" Snow asked.

"Magic." Regina replied, lifting her dress and heading down the stairs.

x-x-x-x

By the time Emma realised what was going on it was too late.

"You want my magic…?" She said to the shadow, "How's this for a kick…"

Something inside her snapped the magic flowing from her hands turned to fire. The explosion that followed sent Emma flying backwards and hitting the wall.

x-x-x-x

The explosion made everyone fall over. Snow looked at Regina. They both stood up and ran towards the great hall.

x-x-x-x

Red was the first through the door, she headed straight over to Emma. Nudging her head with her nose. Regina sat on the floor at Emma's side. Hook went to see if there were any survivors.

"She's one hell of a shot with this thing…" Hook said, pulling Emma's sword out of Tamara's lifeless body.

He walked over to Greg.

"Remind me never to piss your daughter off." He said to Charming, as he pushed Greg's head with his foot.

"Is she…" Snow asked Regina.

Regina shook her head.

"No," Regina said, "but she might be if we don't get her back to the Enchanted Forest…"

"What are we going to do with this?" Hook asked, picking the Dark Ones blade off the floor.

"What does it say on it?" Charming asked.

"Nothing," Hook replied, "nothing at all…"

"She did it…" Regina said, looking down at Emma.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

_Do you ever get the idea that sometimes these happy endings we read about don't really exist. Take my parents for example, if Regina wasn't trying to keep them apart, then King George was. A curse ripped them from here and sent them to Maine; still they didn't have their happy ending. With all the madness going on now it still isn't looking very Happy Ever After like to me. Then we come to Regina_

"Regina…" Emma said to herself, closing the book she was writing in, and leaning back on her chair, "she confuses me more than anyone else…"

"You're feeling better I see." Snow said, walking into Emma's room.

"I was thinking," Emma said, "do you think all this healing by magic may one day actually do more harm than good?"

"What do you mean?" Snow asked, sitting on the bottom of Emma's bed.

"Well all magic comes with a price, right," Emma said, "so what's the price of this going to be?"

"I honestly don't know." Snow said.

"And another thing I was thinking about," Emma said, "When we were in Storybrooke, at the start, when the curse was still in place… how did the town get deliveries? I mean, to the outside world it didn't exist, but we still had everything we could need…"

"Again I honestly don't know…" Snow said with a little laugh.

"We had cars, electricity, computers, gas…" Emma said, "Jeans…"

"Does your mind ever stop?" Snow asked.

"I'm just trying to get my head around it all." Emma replied, "Writing it all down, you know."

"So you're taking the advice you were given." Snow said.

"Yeah, the cricket said writing it all down would help." Emma said, "So that's what I'm trying to do…"

"Can I read it?" Snow asked.

"Er…" Emma started to say.

"It's okay," Snow said, "I don't need to read it. You have your sorcery class in a few minutes."

"Let's see how many things I can blow up today…" Emma said.

"It was an accident." Snow said.

"Yeah, I don't see the horse without a tail thanking me for it," Emma said, "do you?"

"That _was_ unfortunate." Snow said.

"Just a bit." Emma said, with a laugh.

She stood up, picked up the book and placed it in the box that Regina had given her. Taking the key on the chain from around her neck, she locked the box, and put the chain back on.

"That's a pretty box…" Snow said.

"Regina gave me it…" Emma replied, "Not sure where she got it…"

"Knowing Regina it's probably a one of a kind." Snow said.

x-x-x-x

Snow was standing next to the tree line, watching Emma's lesson. She was definitely improving.

"They are limiting what she's capable of." Regina said, walking up next to her.

"They are teaching her to control her magic," Snow said, "which is what we're paying them to do."

"You're wasting your money," Regina said, "she has more power than they could even begin to comprehend between them…"

"So I should have just let you and Gold teach her," Snow said, "is that what you're saying?"

"It would've made more sense, yes." Regina said.

"Well I apologise, for wanting my daughter to learn from people with light magic," Snow said, "who knows what she'd be doing if it were down to you two."

"You're starting to sound a little bitter there dear," Regina said, "you're not going to be able to keep her within these castle walls forever."

"Maybe not," Snow said, "but I may be able to ensure she has the right magical teachings behind her before I let her go. Anyway, she hasn't mentioned leaving since we got back."

"It's still on her mind," Regina said, "trust me."

"I was meaning to ask," Snow said, "what did you do with the dagger?"

"It's somewhere safe," Regina said, "somewhere no one will ever find it."

"I still think we could have disposed of it here," Snow said, "that way we would all know where it was."

"It wouldn't be safe enough," Regina said, "this way no one can be tempted."

"Except you." Snow said.

"I have no interest in becoming the Dark One dear," Regina said, "I actually like my life at the moment."

"At the moment," Snow said, "what happens if things don't turn out the way you want them to?"

"Then I'm not the only one who loses out." Regina replied.

x-x-x-x

"One more time Emma." The sorcerer said, "This time without blowing up the tree."

"I didn't mean to blow up the tree," Emma said, "just so we're clear on that."

"You never do…" he said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked.

"Nothing," he said, "nothing at all, now, shall we go again."

Emma cleared her mind of everything else, closed her eyes and attempted to lift the tree from the ground. Again it exploded.

"I give up," The sorcerer said, throwing his hands in the air, "it's a simple spell, and you can't even manage that."

He walked away from Emma, towards where Snow and Regina were standing.

"You're going to have to find someone else," he said to Snow, "I cannot teach your daughter. She can't even pick up the simplest of spells."

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly the best teacher are you." Emma shouted after him.

"He might not be the best," Snow said, "but he was the only one left in the Kingdom willing to try and teach you."

"I could remove his head from his body," Emma said, loud enough for the departing sorcerer to hear, "then we'll see who can't be taught."

"Emma, you're really not helping matters." Snow said.

"I told you I don't do well in school," Emma said, "I'm more of a learn as I go kinda girl."

"You can't really learn spells in the heat of battle can you." Snow said.

"That's what the sword is for." Emma replied with a laugh.

"I can think of someone who is still willing to help." Regina said.

"I'm going to send word to Mulan," Snow said, "maybe there is someone there who can teach Emma."

"I don't see why Regina can't do it," Emma said, "she's here, and I actually like her."

"You and Mulan got along fine." Snow said.

"Before or after she tried to steal my compass?" Emma asked.

"Still with the compass…" Snow said.

"I dragged my ass up a beanstalk for that compass." Emma replied.

"Emma, let it go," Snow said, "it might actually do you some good to have her here."

"And how do you figure that?" Emma asked.

"She's a warrior." Snow said, "she could teach you a thing or two."

"I'd rather learn on my own." Emma said.

"I have no idea where you get your stubbornness from…" Snow said.

"I can think of one place…" Regina said.

Snow looked at Regina and walked away, back to the castle.

"Why won't she just let you teach me?" Emma asked Regina, "We make a pretty good team…"

"That's probably why," Regina said, with a smile, "she wouldn't want me distracting you from your studies."

"You're probably a bitch of a teacher anyway." Emma said.

"The worst." Regina replied.

"Did you get rid of the blade?" Emma asked.

"It's in a safe place." Regina said.

"Not what I asked…" Emma said.

"Don't worry about it," Regina said, "no one will find it."

"If you're sure…" Emma said.

"I'm sure." Regina replied.

"Okay," Emma said, "how about we go and take Henry out of his lesson and have some fun?"

x-x-x-x

"You have two perfectly good magic teachers here," Charming said, "why are you sending word across the Kingdom."

"Do you really want those two teaching our daughter magic?" Snow asked.

"Well like it or not, they are family." Charming said.

"Where's Henry?" Emma asked, walking into the room.

"In his lesson," Snow said, "which is where he is supposed to be."

"Hate to break it to you," Emma said, "but he isn't there."

"Of course he is…" Snow said, "I checked before your lesson."

"The room is empty," Emma said, "the tutor isn't there, and my son isn't there."

"He…" Charming said, "Try the tree house."

"Why would he be there?" Emma asked.

"Neal stopped by." Charming said.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Emma asked.

"He is Henry's father." Charming said.

"And I'm his mother," Emma said, "we agreed…"

"I know what we agreed," Charming replied, "but I didn't think half an hour would hurt…"

"That isn't your choice to make." Emma said, leaving the room.

x-x-x-x

Emma found Neal and Henry sword fighting in the grounds near the tree house.

"I thought we agreed you'd see him at the weekend." Emma said, walking over to them.

"I was in the area," Neal said, "was grabbing something from Granny's, didn't think you'd mind me stopping by."

"Well you thought wrong," Emma said, "say bye Henry, your father is leaving."

"Come on Emma," Neal said, "don't be like this."

"Be like what?" Emma asked, "Have you forgotten what I overheard in the castle in Neverland…?"

"I had no choice…" Neal said.

"So you keep saying," Emma said, "you had no choice but to tell them, yet you told them a lie. You told them that Regina was the only one strong enough to stop the Dark One."

"At the time I thought that was true." Neal said.

"You guys are always fighting." Henry said.

"Sorry kid…" Emma replied, "your mom wants you inside…"

"See you on Saturday dad." Henry said, handing Neal his sword.

"See you then." Neal replied.

Henry ran off towards the castle, Neal handed Emma the swords.

"You think you can find your own way out?" Emma asked.

"Sure…" Neal said, heading towards the main gates, "he's my kid too Emma."

"Why do you think you're allowed to see him at all?" Emma replied turning and walking back to the castle.

x-x-x-x

Charming was waiting in the main hall.

"I'm sorry Emma," He said, "I didn't think it would bother you so much."

"Well it did," Emma replied, "I know you think you're doing the right thing, but please don't try and tell me how to raise my son."

"I was only trying to help." He said.

"That's all you two ever think you're doing, trying to help," Emma said, "look, I appreciate it, but when it comes to Henry, the choices are mine and Regina's, not yours."

"We're all family Emma." Charming said.

"I know," Emma said, "and I love you all, but please let me raise my son my way…"

She headed up the stairs to where Regina and Henry would be.

x-x-x-x

"So we're moving out of here?" Henry asked.

"That's the idea," Regina said, "are you okay with that?"

"When you said we, you mean me, you and Emma right?" Henry asked.

"Of course," Regina said, "me, you and Emma…"

Emma was standing at the doorway.

"You're stuck with us both now kid." She said.

"I didn't see you there," Regina said with a smile, "I was just telling Henry about the plans to move to my castle, eventually…"

"The sooner the better…" Emma replied.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It was the middle of the night, and Emma was still awake. She had no idea what it was that was keeping her awake; something was playing on her mind. The dagger. The one thing that could bring back the Dark One. She had trusted Regina to dispose of it, when she could have done it herself.

Emma got out of bed, careful not to wake Regina; she walked over to the table. She took the chain from around her neck and opened the box. She lit the candle on the table, knowing that candlelight wouldn't wake Regina. Taking the book out of the box she noticed the bottom of the box for the first time. Sitting in the chair she realised that the box looked bigger from the outside than it did from the inside. She ran her hand across the inside of the box, it was velvet, but there was something underneath it. She found the corner of the velvet cover and pulled. It didn't take much to remove it. There was a hole in the centre of the box.

"A false bottom…" Emma said to herself.

She lifted out the bottom and had to catch her breath. Something else was there. It was wrapped in more velvet. She lifted it out and put it on the table.

Her hands trembled as she unwrapped the velvet.

"She kept it…" she said as the blade came into view, "she kept it, here, in our bedroom…"

She looked over at the bed, a sick feeling rising from her stomach. Not only did Regina keep the blade, but she betrayed Emma, using a 'gift' to hide it.

Emma walked over to her closet, taking an empty bag from it; she started to remove her clothes and putting them in the bag. Regina had a choice to make, and Emma couldn't be around her until she decided what she really wanted.

Once she had finished packing her things, Emma tore a page out of the book that Regina had given her. She wrote her a note.

_Regina,_

_ You kept this in my house, in our home. You lied to me, again. You need to decide what you want; I can't be with you while you keep lying to me. I honestly thought we were past that, then you go and keep this in a room our son uses to play in. I thought you had changed, I guess I was wrong._

_ Emma_

She left the blade on the table, next to the note, picked up her bag and took one more look at the woman asleep in her bed. Grabbing her jacket, she left the room.

Emma made it as far as the Entrance Hall before she was stopped.

"Where are you running off to blondie?" Red asked, stepping out of the shadows.

"Jesus Christ Red," Emma said, "you scared me…"

"I ask again," Red said, "where are you running off to?"

"I don't know…" Emma replied.

"Want to talk about it?" Red asked.

"Not really…" Emma said, walking to the doors.

"What do you want me to tell Henry?" Red asked.

"Tell him his mother isn't the woman I thought she was…" Emma said, "She kept the blade here Red…"

"The Dark One's blade?" Red asked, "I thought she got rid of that."

"So did I," Emma said, "You remember that box she gave me, with the book?"

Red nodded.

"The box had a false bottom in it," Emma continued, "the blade was in the box the whole time…"

"So technically, she gave you the blade…" Red said, "maybe she knew there was only one key to the box. You had the key; you never took that chain off did you?"

"No…" Emma said.

"So maybe, she thought that was the best thing," she said, "if you had the key, never took it off; she knew she couldn't be tempted by it. Plus no one else would know where it was."

"She lied to me." Emma said.

"To protect you." Red replied.

"Since when were you on Team Regina?" Emma asked.

"She's changed Emma," Red said, "you were the one who spent all that time telling people she'd changed, telling us how different she was…"

"Maybe I was wrong." Emma said.

"Maybe you were right and you're just too stubborn to accept it." Red replied.

"I need to do this…" Emma said.

"Go ahead," Red said, "no one is stopping you, but where are you going to go?"

"Anywhere…" Emma said.

"There's a cabin in the woods," Red said, "your mom and I hid out there for a while, I'm pretty sure it's still empty…"

"Thank you…" Emma said.

"I'm not doing this for you." Red said, "Just go…"

"Who…" Emma said.

"If I know where you are, I know you're safe," Red said, "that means I can tell Henry you're safe, and mean it. If you're going, just go."

Emma left the castle, and headed to the stables to get a horse.

x-x-x-x

"Where's Emma?" Regina asked, walking into the dining hall to find Red nursing a cup of coffee.

"She's not upstairs?" Red asked, not looking up from the coffee.

"You know she isn't," Regina said, "where is she?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, your majesty…" Red said, spitting out that last two words.

"You never were a good liar Red," Regina said, "I will find her…"

"And what?" Red asked, "You'll drag her back here? Good luck with that…"

"You need to tell me where she is." Regina said.

"No I don't," Red said, "you need to decide what you want Regina, you had your happy ending, yet you couldn't help but throw it all away…"

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"The blade," Red said, "all you had to do was dispose of it, get rid of it, and you couldn't do that. You finally have your family Regina, the happy ending you always wanted, but that just wasn't enough for you…"

Regina sat down.

"I couldn't dispose of the blade," Regina said, "There is no way to get rid of it. It's pure dark magic…"

"So what, you just decided the best place for it was here?" Red asked.

"Where else would I put it?" Regina asked, "where else is safer for it than here?"

"Would you be saying that when a group of dark magic inclined idiots came here to get it?" Red asked, "Risking everyone's lives, Emma's Henry's…"

"Emma is more powerful than any of us know Red…" Regina said.

"So you put the most powerful dark magic object that ever existed in her property," Red said, "that's a smart move…"

"Emma's magic comes from true love." Regina said, "Can't get any more pure than that."

"Am I the only one who remembers the fire balls, the vanishing in puffs of smoke," Red said, "her magic may come from true love, but it's tied to her emotions… what would you have done if one day she went weird again, and somehow managed to make herself the Dark One by accident? Could you really deal with that?"

"That wouldn't happen." Regina said.

"You sound very sure about that." Red replied.

"I know Emma…" Regina said, "She'd never do that…"

"Because we all know how well Emma's accidents have worked out in the past." Red said.

x-x-x-x

Hunting for food in the woods wasn't exactly how Emma had pictured this going. She was hungry, she had to eat. Her first attempt at shooting a deer had gone very badly, she had missed the deer and hit a tree. Her mother's skills with a bow and arrow weren't genetic that much was for sure.

"Maybe I could become a vegetarian…" Emma said to herself, she spotted something in the corner of her eye, "or aim for something smaller…"

She looked at the little rabbit.

"I cannot eat Thumper…" She said, "Granny's it is…"

x-x-x-x

"One full breakfast." Granny said, putting a plate in front of Emma, "have you given any thought in going home?"

"Nothing to go back to…" Emma replied.

"You want a drink with that?" Granny asked.

"Beer… or something stronger…" Emma said.

"It's a little early for that isn't it?" Granny asked.

"I haven't slept in two days." Emma replied, "Either you serve me or I'll go elsewhere…"

Granny sighed and went to get Emma a drink.

"How does she seem to you?" Red asked Granny while they were at the bar.

"Broken." Granny replied.

"That's what I was afraid of…" Red said, looking over at Emma.


	15. Authors Note

_**Authors Note:**_

_**So sorry for not updating this fic recently, I've had writers block - don't you just hate it when that happens. But after watching the first episode of the new season (and laughing about how many things I have in my first fic and this follow-up that are actually in the new episode) everything seems to be back in working order. Update to follow really soon. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, makes me happy :)**_


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